Good prospects for tourism in southern Hesse

SOUTH HESSEN – (red). The tourist region of southern Hesse can count on record numbers in summer. According to the IHK Darmstadt, the perspectives for tourism in the “destination” Bergstrasse-Odenwald are positive. The region can expect record-breaking visitor and guest numbers in the upcoming summer holidays in 2022, explained the Odenwald district administrator Frank Matiaske during the general assembly of the IHK Darmstadt.

This would continue a positive trend: “Odenwald and Bergstrasse were able to attract many new guests during the corona pandemic. I’m pleased that the trend towards vacationing in one’s own country is continuing,” said Matiaske. As can be seen from current figures, bookings for overnight stays in the first months of 2022 were already back at the 2019 level. The number of bookings for May 2022 is even much higher than before the outbreak of the corona pandemic. For the district administrator, the merger of the previously independently operating “destinations” Bergstrasse and Odenwald in 2018 was the decisive step towards improving the situation. According to Matiaske, this enabled “larger projects to be implemented, which have all brought us forward together.” As an example, he cited the “Bergstraße-Odenwald-Card”, with which guests and tourists can use local public transport free of charge and have free or reduced admission numerous leisure facilities. The district administrator also counts the systematic training of tour guides as one of the reasons for the pleasing development. 18 new ones were handed over their IHK certificates at the end of May.

Michael Dreißigacker, Chairman of the IHK Tourism Committee, praised the “Cooperation in Tourism” working group that emerged from the committee a few years ago, in which new ideas are regularly developed with the tourism organizations in the region. “What’s still missing is a lighthouse that draws national attention and attracts guests to the region,” he wished. The “destination” Bergstraße-Odenwald includes 95 cities and communities across the state.

The economic importance of tourism for the region also became clear during the session of the IHK General Assembly. The study “Economic Factor Tourism Bergstraße-Odenwald”, which the IHK Darmstadt commissioned in 2020 together with Odenwald Tourismus GmbH and Dehoga Hessen, proves that tourism is an important economic factor on the Bergstraße and in the Odenwald. The study attests almost 30,000 jobs and almost 51 million euros in tax revenue per year. “In addition to the economic importance, it is also crucial that tourism is an important soft location factor. Image, quality of life and leisure activities also play a decisive role in finding and retaining skilled workers,” said Dreißigacker, chairman of the committee. The region offers many attractions for summer and autumn holidays: farm holidays, old towns, castles and palaces as well as many leisure attractions. “We should see the continuing trend towards vacationing in one’s own country as a huge opportunity for the region,” says Dreißigacker.