Status: 16.03.2021 8:00 p.m.
According to the Schleswig-Holstein tourism agency, the number of overnight stays in the Corona year 2020 fell by 19.6 percent. A minus of seven million. Almost all types of accommodation are affected.
from Hauke Bülow
Campsites and landlords of holiday homes and apartments have come through the crisis much better than other accommodation providers. The tourism agency Schleswig-Holstein TASH and the Ministry of Economics said last week. However, according to TASH, only the larger commercial landlords were recorded. The smaller private landlords, on the other hand, do not feel like cheering, a look at the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn (Ostholstein district) shows.
No help for private landlords
The Böhrs family has a farm on Fehmarn. Your target group: people with dogs.
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Susanne Böhrs is desperate. Together with her family, she rents two holiday apartments on Fehmarn. Target group: people with dogs. “We are usually fully booked all year round,” says the landlady. The lockdown in spring 2020 then hit the mark. “Our main problem is that we have not received any subsidies and have not been allowed to rent out for seven months in the past 12 months,” says Susanne Böhrs . And so she was able to book a maximum of half of her other income.
Letting mostly only sideline
Daniel Rousta from the Association of Vacation Rental Owners explains the problem. Often the landlords are not active commercially, but tax their income as income from renting and leasing. In addition, in most cases renting is not the main occupation of the landlord, but a sideline, for example for old-age provision. And so they are excluded from government corona aid, while costs for loans, taxes, insurance, maintenance or energy continue to run.
Susanne Böhrs speaks of a dilemma that privately run holiday apartments would find themselves in. She appeals to politicians to allow accommodation in holiday apartments and houses in the country again. Otherwise many owners would face personal bankruptcy.
Fehmarn Youth Hostel: minus 55 percent for overnight stays
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Hostel father Johannes Bethcke missed such activities.
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According to the Schleswig-Holstein Tourism Agency, youth hostels are also among the big losers in the Corona crisis. Johannes Bethcke doesn’t feel like laughing at the moment either. He is the host of the youth hostel on Fehmarn. The spring of 2020 was marked by cancellations and rebooking for him. According to Bethcke, only smaller holiday camps could have taken place under the strictest hygiene measures.
On the other hand, significantly more families booked a holiday at Fehmarn Youth Hostel last year than last year. The proportion rose from 18 percent to 42 percent. However, they were no longer able to save the annual balance sheet. The number of overnight stays fell by 55 percent. Youth hostels have hardly any reserves for crisis years due to their non-profit status, as all income is reinvested directly in the structure of the houses, explains the hostel’s father. He looks sadly at the current situation. “We miss the guests very much. There is no life in the hostel. We are on short-time work and can hardly do the job we love: being hosts.”
Complicated funding programs
In order to mitigate the financial consequences for the youth hostels, the federal government decided on further aid in March. According to the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, a further 100 million euros are to be made available for youth hostels and educational institutions. However, state aid law is very complex, explains Katharina Pauli from the DJH-Landesverband Nordmark eV, because some funding programs are mutually exclusive or have to be offset against each other. Therefore, it is not yet possible to finally say how high the state aid for the youth hostels will be for 2020. The 45 youth hostels in the association share the loss in sales in solidarity.
Hostel father Johannes Bethcke demands concrete opening perspectives from politicians, provided that the infection situation allows it. It is important for him that no hasty school trips are banned. They are usually the main target group with over 40 percent of all guests.
VIDEO: Corona crisis: Youth hostels are reaching their economic limits (3 min)
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IFA-Hotel Fehmarn looks back on a mixed year
The hotels in Schleswig-Holstein have not had another record year either – on the contrary. According to statisticians, the number of overnight stays has decreased by around 30 percent. The IFA hotel on the south beach on Fehmarn felt this too. Especially in spring, when the employees had to send home guests, some of whom had just arrived.
In the summer, hotel director Jutta Zimmermann and her team experienced a “rush of bookings” that could hardly be managed. Nevertheless, the hotel, with its 420 rooms and apartments, was unable to compensate for the long lockdown times in terms of sales. To keep the employees together. However, the situation and the lack of prospects for the workforce hurts her heart, says Director Jutta Zimmermann. The restaurant is completely closed, all employees are on short-time work. Her hope is that she will not be able to use the hotel in the coming weeks open it and then close it again – that would be the greatest frustration and effort.
Campsites are defying the corona crisis
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The Muhl family from the Strukkamp Huk campsite on Fehmarn hopes to receive guests again at Easter.
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While the other accommodation providers in the country have suffered massive losses, the campsites cannot complain. Although they were only able to open later than in previous years due to the lockdown in spring, they apparently made up for it in the summer months. According to the Schleswig-Holstein tourism agency, the number of overnight stays rose by nine percent. Hinrich Muhl from the Strukkamp Huk campsite in the south of Fehmarn is therefore very satisfied with the development.
The place has benefited from the fact that trips abroad were hardly possible, explains Muhl the good development in summer 2020. His team hardly kept up with telephone booking inquiries. Hinrich Muhl expects the 700 parking spaces to be fully utilized in the summer months again this year. The pre-bookings are better than the years before. The operating family also hopes to be able to receive guests again as early as Easter if possible. Preparations for this are already underway in the background, even if it is currently uncertain when the campsites in the country will be allowed to reopen.
VIDEO: Despite the holiday season: travel agencies still in Corona mode (3 min)
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Further information
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