- The environmental safeguarding aspect of the tourism sector remains behind schedule.
Brandenburg Tourism Trends
The tourism sector in Brandenburg exhibited a surge in the number of temporary stays during the initial half of 2024, yet there are local disparities. The Sparkassen-Tourism Barometer indicates that tourists tend to visit Brandenburg more during the spring season. The autumn months of September and October still offer plenty of prospect. Additionally, environmental and climate considerations are crucial for vacationers, as evidenced by the Ostdeutscher Sparkassenverband survey.
Environmental Improvement Required
According to the Tourism Barometer, tourist businesses in Brandenburg need to improve in environmental and climate preservation. Nearly half of the businesses (54.3%) are still in the beginning stages of ecological sustainability, indicating a need for improvement. Simultaneously, 56% of Germans consider sustainability as a valued feature in tourism. Ecological sustainability encompasses practices such as resource conservation, minimizing single-use plastic, and the use of eco-friendly transport methods.
Regional Variations in Overnight Stays
The number of temporary stays in the first half of 2024 increased by 1.9% to 6.45 million, in comparison to the first half of 2023. This is slightly lower compared to the demand increase in East Germany (2.2%) and Germany as a whole (2.1%). The southern regions of Brandenburg contributed to this favorable outcome.
In contrast to the first half of 2023, there was a significant hike in temporary stays in the Dahme-Seen region (+14.1%), Elbe-Elster-Land (+11.4%), Lausitzer Seenland (+9%), and Potsdam (+7%). However, the Oder-Spree (-0.4%) and Fläming (-0.9%) regions experienced a significant drop. According to the Tourism Barometer, the Barnimer Land had 21.3% fewer temporary stays in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023.
Slow Recovery of Leisure Industry
The leisure industry, inclusive of cultural and recreational facilities, is recovering slowly. There was a minor increase of 1% in visitor numbers from January to June of this year, as compared to the previous year. However, there are still 9% fewer visitors compared to the pre-Corona year, 2019, as reported by the Ostdeutscher Sparkassenverband.
Tourists, being environmentally conscious, strongly appreciate businesses in Brandenburg that prioritize ecological sustainability, as revealed by the Ostdeutscher Sparkassenverband survey. To attract and retain these eco-friendly visitors, it's crucial for the tourism sector to enhance its environmental and climate preservation efforts, given that over half of German tourists value sustainability in their travel plans.
