Tourism - Schleswig-Holstein in demand for Christmas and New Year's Eve
Schleswig-Holstein's vacation destinations are once again well booked over the holidays and the turn of the year. In general, people like to travel at Christmas and New Year's Eve and the northernmost federal state also benefits from this, said Bettina Bunge, Managing Director of the Schleswig-Holstein Tourism Agency (TASH), to the German Press Agency. "Once again this year, Schleswig-Holstein is in high demand as a travel destination for Christmas and New Year's Eve."
According to TASH, however, the current booking situation varies from region to region. "As was already apparent in the fall, the booking situation for Christmas and New Year's Eve 2023 is very heterogeneous across the state." The larger destinations have occupancy rates of up to 80% over Christmas, but the days after Christmas and over the New Year are particularly well booked. In some vacation destinations, they even exceed last year's results. However, there is still capacity available - between the coasts, but also at North Sea and Baltic Sea resorts in all categories and price ranges.
Good occupancy rates on the North Sea islands - remaining capacity available
The Halligen islands will be full over Christmas and New Year's Eve. Almost all accommodation is reportedly fully booked. However, it may still be possible to organize a place for those who decide late. According to the local tourism experts, around ten percent of the accommodation on Nordstrand is still available at Christmas. Only a few individual accommodations are still available for New Year's Eve.
On the North Frisian islands of Amrum, Föhr and Sylt, the current booking situation for Christmas and New Year's Eve is comparable to previous years. With an occupancy rate of just over 80 percent over Christmas and 85 percent over New Year's Eve, Amrum is currently just behind the figures for 2022. For the accommodation available at foehr.de/buchen, the tourism experts report an occupancy rate of around 80 percent around Christmas and New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve is traditionally busier than Christmas, but there is still accommodation available across the island at the turn of the year. According to Sylt Marketing GmbH, the booking situation on Sylt over Christmas and New Year's Eve is good and stable compared to the previous year.
On Heligoland, Helgoland Tourismus Service is expecting an occupancy rate of around 70 percent on New Year's Eve. However, there are many rooms on the high seas island that are rented out independently by the landlords, often to regular guests, so no precise data is available.
Very good booking situation on the Baltic Sea
Travemünde is one of the most popular New Year's Eve locations on the Baltic Sea. Lübeck-Travemünde Marketing records an occupancy rate of 98 percent in its own booking system. And around 80 percent of accommodation is also booked for Christmas. In the second week of the vacation - i.e. after New Year - occupancy rates fall rapidly. The resorts on the Bay of Lübeck are also popular, with bookings at just under 80 percent according to the Bay of Lübeck Tourism Agency. Further bookings are expected for the period around the turn of the year. Guests generally have a greater choice of available accommodation if they stay for at least five days, as this is the minimum stay for some accommodations.
Grömitz is also already very well booked with a current occupancy rate of around 85 percent. However, many guests are staying a little shorter than in previous years. Inquiries and bookings are still gradually coming in, so that the Grömitz Tourist Service is expecting a very good occupancy rate over the turn of the year.
There is still a better chance of finding free accommodation inland
Between the coasts, last-minute vacationers have more choice. According to local tourism experts, there are significantly more bookings for Christmas and New Year's Eve in the Schlei region, for example, compared to last year, but there is still a whole range of accommodation available in all categories. In the green inland region, the booking situation for the Christmas and New Year holidays is very satisfactory. "The figures have almost doubled compared to last year," they say. The situation is different in the Holstein region - Elbe and Auenland. A number of bookings have already been received over the Christmas and New Year holidays, but there is still plenty of capacity available, according to Holstein.
Bookings for spring are still slow in almost all destinations, TASH reported. "Easter is early in the year, so experience shows that bookings are made at short notice due to the unpredictable weather conditions."
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- For those seeking a vacation spot during the Turn of the year, Schleswig-Holstein, with its Baltic Sea and North Sea resorts, is proving to be a popular choice, as pointed out by Bettina Bunge from the German Press Agency's discussion with TASH.
- Despite the high demand for Christmas and New Year's Eve vacations, there's still capacity available on the North Sea islands, such as Nordstrand, where around 10% of accommodations remain unbooked.
- The Baltic Sea and its locations, like Travemünde, are also in high demand, with an occupancy rate of 98% for New Year's Eve and around 80% for Christmas, according to Lübeck-Travemünde Marketing.
- Sylt, another Baltic Sea island, also has a good and stable booking situation, especially when guests aim for at least a five-day stay, as reported by Sylt Marketing GmbH.
- North Frisian islands, including Amrum, Föhr, and Sylt, have occupancy rates comparable to previous years; however, there's still accommodation available for New Year's Eve in Amrum and across Sylt at the turn of the year.
- Another popular vacation spot is Heligoland, which is expected to have an occupancy rate of around 70% on New Year's Eve, with several rooms rented independently by landlords.
- Tourists looking to explore inland areas can find better chances of free accommodation in regions such as Schlei and the green inland, where the booking situation for the Christmas and New Year holidays is very satisfactory and the figures have almost doubled compared to last year.
- The town of Grömitz, on the Bay of Lübeck, is already very well-booked with a current occupancy rate of around 85%, but its Tourist Service still expects a good occupancy rate for the turn of the year with continuous bookings still coming in.
Source: www.stern.de
