Corona hits Isartal tourism with full force.
The number of overnight stays is falling dramatically.
It is questionable whether it will be better in 2021.
Upper Isar Valley
- closed shops, empty hotel rooms, existential fears - the second corona lockdown hit the tourism destination Alpenwelt Karwendel with full force.
"For a lot of people that has a lot to do with the substance," admits Sabrina Blandau, managing director of Alpenwelt-Karwendel-GmbH, without further ado.
As a result, their presentation of the 2020 tourism figures is anything but subject to amusement tax.
The week-long closure of the accommodation establishments really messed up the statistics: almost 16 percent fewer overnight stays than in the previous year, and in the case of guest arrivals the figure is as much as 23.6 percent.
In the overall balance, this means a massive drop in the number of overnight stays from just under 1.2 million to a million.
How this will affect added value in the Upper Isar Valley cannot yet be estimated today.
"That will have a rat tail", predicts the Mittenwald mayor Enrico Corongiu (SPD).
In this context he refers to the municipal subsidiary Karwendel, Energie & Wasser GmbH (KEW).
“That's where the numbers break away.” Fewer vacationers, less electricity and water consumption.
If the key sector of tourism is ailing, then the other sectors will also feel it - for example retailers and craftsmen.
July, August, September and October are bright spots in the Corona horror year
July, August, September and October are an absolute ray of hope in the Corona horror year.
In the months between the lockdowns, the number of overnight stays increased massively by 45,171 compared to 2019.
During the same period, the number of guests arriving decreased by 2311. Sounds paradoxical, but it is easy to explain.
“This development can be traced back to an increase in the average length of stay,” explains Blandau.
Because in this high phase the holidaymakers stayed - statistically speaking - instead of 4.97 now more 5.47 days in the Alpenwelt Karwendel.
Significant increases in occupancy were achieved in the summer season (July / August) in the accommodation categories farm (plus 20.7 percent) and guesthouse (plus 8.8 percent).
In terms of length of stay, inns (plus 12.7 percent) and farms (plus 9.2 percent) benefited most from this encouraging trend.
Due to the entry restrictions, the already modest segment of foreign guests fell from eleven to a meager six percent in the Corona year 2020.
The pandemic and its serious consequences also led to a rejuvenation process in the three Isar valley locations.
The number of holidaymakers under 50 grew by 18 percent.
This age group makes up 46.6 percent of the overall statistics.
How will the Corona year 2021 develop?
It is extremely difficult for the tourism expert to assess
And how will the second Corona year 2021 develop?
To answer this question is of course extremely difficult for tourism expert Blandau.
Because neither they nor big politics have clairvoyant abilities.
“One can assume that at least the first quarter of 2021 will still be marked by severe restrictions.” The GmbH boss also believes: “The summer season 2021 will probably be comparable to 2020.” As a “small incentive” for the long-suffering hosts According to Blandau, bookings in the first quarter of 2021 that are made via the Alpenwelt Karwendel website will be free of commission.
Unless the state - as regrettably happened in November 2020 - does not put a spanner in the works, plans are made to extend the season until late autumn in 2021 to compensate for at least some of the failures.
"The companies want to pull this off," says Blandau, referring to discussions with landlords.
In the Alpenwelt Karwendel office in Mittenwald, like in many other offices, there is an eerie calm - short-time work, home office.
But this ghost town atmosphere can be felt everywhere in the Upper Isar Valley.
The icy January wind fits in with this.
Tourism balance 2020
Overnight stays
:
Alpenwelt Karwendel
: 1 008 045 (2019: 1 198 092) / minus 15.9 percent
Mittenwald
: 475 188 (553 019) / minus 14.1 percent
Krün
: 401 202 (492 278) / minus 18.5 percent
Wallgau
: 131 655 (152 795) / minus 13.8 percent
Guest arrivals
:
Alpenwelt Karwendel
: 184 107 (241 025) / minus 23.6 percent
Mittenwald
: 88 044 (112 456) / minus 21.7 percent
Krün
: 74 886 (102 528) / minus 27.0 percent
Wallgau
: 21 177 (26 041) / minus 18.7 percent