Germans usually love their sun-soaked summer holidays abroad, but fears of a second wave of novel coronavirus infections have prompted a new vacation destination of choice: their home country.
On a recent public holiday, it was only 17°C in the seaside resort of Binz on the island of Ruegen.
However, in the bright sunshine, with families playing ball on a sandy beach and couples lounging about with ice creams, it already felt like the height of summer.
Photo: AFP
It was almost as though the COVID-19 pandemic and weeks of lockdown since mid-March had all been a bad dream.
Few of the tourists wandering along the promenade were observing social distancing rules, and apart from restaurant staff and ice cream sellers, no one was wearing a mask.
At the start of this week, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the northern German state least affected by the pandemic, reopened its hotels, initially just for locals.
From tomorrow, Germans from all over the country would be able to join the fun.
For local resident Regina, it was a relief to see people milling about again on the promenade on the Baltic Sea, with its pretty white houses.
“It is nice. We’ve been feeling very lonely in Binz lately,” the 69-year-old said.
“It feels good, liberating, to be here again,” said 34-year-old Julia Holz, who traveled to Binz with her husband and two children to visit family and enjoy the beach.
While half of Germans like to spend their summer vacation elsewhere in Europe, with Spain the top destination, more than one-third preferred a staycation even before the pandemic, official statistics showed.
Apart from Ruegen and the Baltic Sea coast, Bavaria is also a popular choice, with its mountains and romantic castles.
However, Munich-based tour operator FTI Group said that this year demand for vacations at home has gone through the roof.
“Bookings by German holidaymakers in their own country are well ahead,” FTI Group director Ralph Schiller said, noting a “clear upward trend” in stays of at least one week compared with last year.
This is partly due to continued uncertainty about travel restrictions.
However, even if borders are reopened, tourists would still have many unknowns to navigate, German Tourism Federation president Norbert Kunz said.
“What security measures are in place? What happens if a new wave of coronavirus breaks out in the destination country or at home, and if it leads to new travel restrictions?” he asked.
Compared to its neighbors France and Italy, Germany has managed to stay on top of the crisis and prevent its hospitals from being overwhelmed.
There is a “sense of security” in staying at home, said Regina, who would not be vacationing abroad this year.
Germany is preparing to lift an official ban and allow travel to some European countries from the middle of next month, meaning trips to the Mediterranean will theoretically be back on the menu.
However, politicians are taking pains to keep stressing the risks.
“Be under no illusions: There will be no quick return to ‘business as usual,’” German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas has said.
Having brought home about 240,000 Germans stranded abroad in the past several weeks, the government has warned that there would not be another costly effort on this scale in the event of a second outbreak.
Bavarian Minister President Markus Soeder has even proposed introducing bonuses such as tax breaks to promote vacation in Germany, especially for less-wealthy families.
However, there remains “the problem of accommodation capacity for holidaymakers,” tour operator TUI AG spokesman Aage Duenhaupt said, in addition to disease prevention regulations varying from region to region.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, hotels are permitted to use only 60 percent of their capacity, while in other regions there are no limits.
“We hope this restriction will be lifted soon, perhaps next week,” said Oliver Gut, director of a boutique hotel chain in Binz.
“The situation remains very tense [financially],” Kunz said.
He estimated that the sector has lost about 35 billion euros (US$38.1 billion) in revenue since March, and has called for a state support plan with immediate aid and investment.
“It will be a long time before we get back to normal,” Kunz said.
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