Mountain rescue: More tourism means more deployment hours
A short excursion during the week, or a hiking or mountain bike tour out of season: increased nature tourism leads to more work for volunteer rescuers in Saxony. This is according to a joint press release issued on Thursday by the German Red Cross (DRK) Saxony regional association and the Saxony state tourism association. "However, these positive developments in the tourism industry also mean an increase in deployment hours for the volunteer rescuers of the DRK mountain rescue service," it said.
According to the report, DRK Bergwacht volunteers have already been called out 566 times this year to help cyclists who have fallen or injured hikers in Saxony's low mountain ranges. Added to this are the missions in the upcoming winter season. Last year, a total of 791 missions were counted - a similar number to the years before the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The trend towards year-round tourism in Saxon Switzerland is also reflected in the deployment figures, the report continued. This year, the mountain rescue team has already been called out 152 times, compared to 96 missions in 2018.
"Tourists who don't come from Saxony in particular underestimate the local low mountain ranges," said Hannes Markert, regional head of the DRK mountain rescue service in Saxony. But even Saxon tourists sometimes overestimate themselves. "One indication of this is that the number of missions increases during the week and outside of vacations."
Markert called on local authorities and communities in Saxony's vacation regions to take the conditions for assistance and rescue into account when developing new offers. Support structures are needed so that mountain rescue services can help.
Tourism in Saxony is continuing to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, according to the press release. From January to August, more than five million guests booked more than 13 million overnight stays. This was 13 percent more overnight stays than in the previous year.
During leisure time, an increase in accidents and emergencies is evident for mountain rescuers, as highlighted by the DRK Saxony regional association and the Saxony state tourism association. The rise in tourism contributes to extended deployment hours for the DRK mountain rescue service, as mentioned in the joint press release.
Source: www.dpa.com
