Entrepreneur Ludwig Klitzsch (42) has been chairman of the advisory board of Tegernseer Tal Tourismus GmbH (TTT) since July. We spoke to him about the role of the Advisory Board and its goals.
Mr. Klitzsch, the advisory board only has an advisory role. Do you feel that you are being taken seriously?
Just as the shareholders, i.e. the mayors, live and we also feel taken seriously by the TTT management with Christian Kausch at the top. We are also actively involved. The advisory board consists of 16 proven specialists, and everyone is very involved. I think the shareholders and TTT feel relieved because they have specialists from the business world to give them advice. I feel like we're being listened to.
How often do you meet?
In the 21 months since we were constituted, we have met 15 or 16 times. That is a lot. Of the 16 advisory boards, around twelve usually come to the meetings, which is a good figure. It's a great group and it's really remarkable what is being done on a volunteer basis. The role of the chairman should not be overestimated. He is primarily a moderator. You can tell in the committee how much the people here care about their homeland and that they are ready to do something about it.
Corona is currently causing problems for tourism. How do you assess the situation?
Corona has hit tourism hard. The number of overnight stays has dropped by 30 percent. It essentially results from the months of March to May, when we had slumps of 80 to 90 percent. This money is gone, it won't come back. Even if everything is going well now, the tourism professionals will be missing 20 percent of sales by the end of the year. That's dramatic. Most companies are designed so that only the last ten percent bring the profits.
Was the corona lockdown too hard?
I think he was right, even if it hurt a lot. I am convinced that Germany's international reputation has increased because we have managed to avert a lot of damage to the population and also to the economy. I think the state has given courageous support. But some still sit on the damage. In the Tegernsee valley, I see the great danger that we will lose many beds because some people who have not been doing well before, throw them down in the crisis. Right now the biggest concern in tourism is that we are losing infrastructure. We absolutely have to try to prevent that.
Did the TTT react correctly to the crisis?
Under the leadership of Mr. Kausch, TTT reacted extremely quickly and extremely well. A budget of 200,000 euros was reallocated and used specifically for online marketing. What was strong: ZDF and BR reported on the security concept at Tegernsee for two days in a row, Mr. Kausch was seen twice. We were able to present ourselves as a safe region that understood the hygiene rules and did their homework.
But the crisis is not over yet.
I do not want to gloss over the situation: It is terrible, many are concerned about their existence. For example, companies that were geared towards senior citizens and bus travel are severely affected. I also see the population getting tired of sticking to the rules, even though we have already achieved so much. It would be wonderful if we got a vaccine next spring. It is exciting that an entrepreneurial family from Tegernsee is at the forefront in the search for it with the Strüngmanns. Your Biontech could do it. The current crisis also offers our region opportunities.
Which one?
A younger and financially strong clientele is just rediscovering Lake Tegernsee for themselves. People who usually travel abroad. The Tegernsee is one of the few tourist destinations in Europe that is currently well booked. The hotels in Munich only have an occupancy rate of 16 percent compared to 80 percent in the previous year. The fact that we are now gaining new customers will perhaps strengthen us in the long term.
Where do you still see a need to catch up?
In the online area, we still have to catch up with our Austrian colleagues. You can target guests online and control who comes to Tegernsee. The TTT, which is a great organization overall, understood that. During the crisis, Mr. Kausch very decidedly diverted money to online marketing. I think that in the future we will also get the means to be really effective in this area. As an advisory board, we are very committed to this and are also in good talks.
