Gemünden has its charms: forest, water, nature, the Scherenburg with its festival. In terms of tourism, City Councilor Wolfgang Remelka still sees potential that Gemünden should use. His application to try to win a student to work out a new tourism concept for Gemünden was the focus of the public meeting of the Gemünden City Council Committee for Education, Youth, Culture on Monday. Actually, Mayor Jürgen Lippert had ?? although he also recognizes tourist potential ?? intended not to pursue the application any further for the time being, but after many contributions he changed his mind.
A tourism concept for Gemünden? wasn’t there what? That’s right, in 2010 the then head of the Department of Culture Inge Albert created such a concept with numerous measures and implementation strategies. At that time she named five fields of action: cycling, hiking, activities on and in the water, experiencing culture and infrastructure. She assigned short-term (within two years), medium-term (within four years) and long-term goals to each of these areas. Before that, in 2008 a student at the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg had created a marketing concept for Gemünden with the advertising association at the time.
Many points of the tourism concept have now been implemented, according to the meeting draft prepared by the town hall. The established city marketing, the redesigned Huttenschlosshof, themed city tours, the Ronkarzgarten, the wellness area, a signposted city tour and the forest adventure trail are named. But there are things that have not yet been implemented, mainly for cost reasons.
Remelka: Tourism has developed
City councilor Remelka said: “In the past, there has certainly been no inaction.” However, some things have not yet been implemented. In addition, tourism has developed further. He mentioned the keywords “microtourism” (a form of adventure tourism) and “mobile home tourism”.
Mayor Lippert called the application “at least understandable”, even if much of the 2010 concept had been implemented and other things could not be implemented for financial reasons. But he also said: “If we need anything at all, then we need something new, something innovative, not more mobile home sites, even more Scherenburg.” From his point of view, for example, a concept for winter tourism is needed. “Again a general concept doesn’t really make sense.”
Blaic: Money for existing ideas makes more sense than for new concepts
Jasna Blaic, head of the cultural office, said of Remelka’s application: “It’s not about ideas, it’s about implementation.” There are enough ideas, but there is a lack of money. She found it important to have an annual budget for measures, and investing money in existing ideas would make more sense than a new concept.
City councilor Matthias Risser endorsed the proposal that some things had changed due to Corona. He believes that people will increasingly go on holiday in their own country again in the next few years. He named mobile homes, the campsite, the Scherenburg and e-mobility with charging stations as starting points for Gemünden. The mayor could pay for a new concept from the postage. City council colleague Ferdinand Heilgenthal would like a not too theoretical concept tailored to Gemünden with regard to the existing gastronomy and the Scherenberghalle. “We are not using a cloud cuckoo land, what is feasible is important.”
“What a beautiful Gemünden you have!”
Hans-Joachim Schuessler said he liked to hear from strangers: “What a beautiful Gemünden you have!” He thinks there is no need for a new concept. The forest adventure trail should be looked after a little better, but otherwise the beds of the Hotel Atlantis were missing and some would find it difficult to find an open restaurant for lunch. It’s about little things. His colleague Richard Rauscher, on the other hand, found: “It goes without saying that everyone has to support the application.” Perhaps parts of the concept presented in 2018 for an adventure trail “Experience water” could be implemented. Ralf Obert advocated a working group made up of volunteers who could work out a concept at very little cost.
After the discussion, Lippert said: “It is of no use to us to work on the same thing again as what we have already received twice.” He suggested that the city get in touch with the university or college to work out new things. It will not fail at the cost of EUR 2,000 for a concept. The city councils unanimously approved this. Lippert wants to keep you up to date on what comes out of the contact.
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