Easter marks the beginning of the travel season for German tourism. People visit relatives or go on vacation. After two years of the Corona pandemic, hotels and restaurants in Germany hope that as many guests as possible will fill their establishments again.
Thuringia Cautiously Optimistic
The pandemic-stricken Thuringian tourism industry is cautiously optimistic for Easter vacations in the Free State. For the Easter weekend, hotels and accommodations of smaller providers are partly already well booked, a spokeswoman of the Thüringer Tourismus GmbH (TTG) stated. This concerns for example the cities Weimar and Eisenach, as it was said by the tourism companies there. Over the entire Easter vacation, the reservation situation is so far however not yet satisfying, according to the TTG.
According to TTG estimates, many people decide to make a booking only at very short notice. They want to wait and see whether and which Corona regulations apply at the vacation destination and in the hotels. Thuringia has suffered massive declines in tourism over the past two years because of the pandemic.
Saxony: Mood "Full of Hope"
After two lean pandemic years, Saxony's hospitality industry wants to start a better season again at Easter. The mood is "full of hope," said the managing director of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga) in Saxony, Axel Klein, in a survey conducted by the German Press Agency. The tourism industry in Upper Lusatia, for example, which is known for its centuries-old Easter traditions, is hoping for more visitors than in previous years. The city of Bautzen in Upper Lusatia and the surrounding villages with their typical Sorbian inns are preparing for a tourist "rush," they said.
Significantly Better Omens in Saxony-Anhalt
For the hospitality industry in Saxony-Anhalt, Easter 2022 is under much better omens than in the Corona years before. "The rules are loosening, people are keen to travel again which is good for German tourism," said Martin Schulze, managing director of the Saxony-Anhalt State Tourism Association. Businesses are expected to far exceed the overnight stays of the previous two poor years - he even hopes for convergence with 2019.
According to an initial assessment, nature destinations, in particular, are in high demand. "The Harz Mountains, the Magdeburg-Elbe-Börde-Heide region and the Halle-Saale-Unstrut region" particularly benefit from the old travel habits of guests in the spring, Schulze said. However, the continuing trend toward bicycle tours will also have a positive effect on the Altmark and the Anhalt-Dessau-Wittenberg World Heritage Region, he added.
Berlin Expects Higher Occupancy
Berlin could attract more guests again at Easter. The city's tourism promoters and the Hotel and Restaurant Association are expecting a comparatively high occupancy rate for hotels. "The pre-booking levels look very promising," association CEO Thomas Lengfelder said. Hotels are already between 60 and 75 percent booked over Easter, said tourism association managing director Burkhard Kieker. "But we expect more because people are booking at increasingly short notice."
Bavaria Holds Its Positive Outlook
Thomas Geppert, regional managing director of the Bavarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga), also hopes for good tourism results for Bavaria. Above all, more high-end hotels with wellness areas are in demand, he said. This is also the focus of Bayern Tourismus, which advertises on the Internet with sights and nature around mountains, forests, lakes and flowering meadows.
The situation is not yet comparable with the time before Corona. "If the weather is nice, guests will certainly also decide at short notice," Geppert stated.
According to the association, around 80 percent of guests in Bavaria traditionally come from Germany. Holidaymakers from Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands have also returned. Those who are still missing, however, are the business customers who travel to major events and conferences. This is particularly noticeable in the cities.