Corona-crisis : domestic tourism breaks in – aid from the Federal government required

The Corona restrictions brought in April, the domestic tourism in Germany almost completely to a Halt.

The number of guest nights fell compared to the same month last year to 89.3% to 4.3 million, as the Federal Statistical office calculated.

This was according to the Wiesbaden-based authority, the strongest decline compared with a year-on-year month since records began in 1992.

Since mid-March, a ban on the accommodation was private travellers, business trips were severely limited. In April, the corona hit-related measures for Hotels and guest houses full.

The overnight Stays of guests from abroad plunged 93.1%, to 0.5 million. In the case of travellers from the domestic market there was a decline of 88.5 percent to 3.8 million.

The industry had recorded in the past year, the tenth night record in a row, was started with a strong January and February to the year 2020. In March and April, the crash followed. In the first four months, the number of overnight Stays fell by 39.6 percent to 76.9 million.

Tourism is one of the hardest of the Corona-crisis sectors to be affected. The Hotel and restaurant Association Dehoga calls for direct assistance from the state, which are tailored to the specifics of the industry. The Grand coalition wants to support the industry in the framework of its economic stimulus package for SMEs and Solo self-employed with a 25 billion Euro programme for Bridging loans.

It is, however, more than open the question of whether this aid would be enough to save the businesses and jobs, said Dehoga President Guido Zöllick recently. “The proposed amounts are too low. Bridging loans for three months also in our particular sector much too short. Here is an extension to seven months is absolutely necessary.” Impetus hopes to the industry of the temporary reduction in VAT.

The holiday with motorhome and Caravan experienced, however, in the past few years, an unprecedented popularity and the interest subsides in the Corona-crisis.

With the loosening of the contact and travel restrictions to combat the Corona-pandemic the number of new registrations of recreational vehicles rising significantly again. In the past month, a total of 14.073 leisure were admitted to the new vehicle. The are 15.9 percent more than in may 2019 and a new record value for the bliss-month.