IHK survey: mood in tourism industry worsens
Rising energy and food prices as well as the ongoing staff shortage are dampening the mood in Lower Saxony's tourism industry. This is the result of a recent survey of more than 500 companies conducted by the Lower Saxony Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHKN). According to the survey, the economic climate index fell from 116.6 to 104.5 points compared to the previous survey in spring. Although the overall mood in the industry is good, around a third of the companies surveyed expected the business situation to deteriorate, said Kerstin van der Toorn, tourism spokesperson for the Lower Saxony Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in a statement on Friday.
"This means that the current situation is better than last year, when energy costs in the upcoming winter were a cause for concern for many. However, the increased costs are still seen as the biggest risk to business activity," said the tourism expert. According to the survey, around 79% of the businesses surveyed see the prices of energy, raw materials and food as the biggest risk. This is followed by labor costs (69.0 percent), staff shortages (65.4 percent) and the economic policy framework (64.8 percent) as further risks.
According to the survey, the gastronomy sector is most concerned about the probable return to the VAT rate of 19 percent on food - two thirds of the restaurateurs surveyed mentioned this. According to information from the German Press Agency on Friday, the traffic light coalition agreed that VAT would be raised again at the beginning of the year. In order to relieve the gastronomy sector during the corona crisis, the tax rate for food in restaurants was temporarily reduced from 19 to seven percent.
Visits to restaurants or cafés are therefore likely to become more expensive in the coming year. If VAT is actually increased again, around 79% of the businesses surveyed stated that they would increase their prices.
The search for staff remains difficult for many businesses in the hospitality industry. Just over half of the businesses surveyed stated in the IHK survey that they would not be able to fill vacancies in the long term. Only two out of ten companies have no problems.
According to the IHK, around 400 businesses from the hotel, catering and camping industries as well as 100 travel agencies took part in the survey in October.
The worsening economic situation in the hospitality industry, due to rising energy and food prices, is leading to concerns about increased costs, as noted by 79% of businesses surveyed. This economic climate is also contributing to staff shortages, with over half of the surveyed businesses in the hospitality sector unable to fill long-term vacancies.
Source: www.dpa.com
