Tourism in Garmisch-Partenkirchen - a coin with two sides

Garmisch-Partenkirchen lives from tourism.

But the business with those looking for relaxation and leisure has its downsides - and polarized.

Many find the rush of excursions particularly stressful.

And it is above all the youth who are critical of the whole issue.

These are the findings from a public survey.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

- Michael Gerber was clearly disappointed with the low response. "That is regrettable," said the managing director of GaPa Tourismus GmbH right at the beginning of his presentation in the congress center. Just about a dozen visitors had found their way to the Werdenfels festival hall, where 109 seats were available despite Corona. Interest was also limited online: at the top 43 users followed the hybrid event.

The topic was extremely exciting - and affects a large part of the approximately 29,000 inhabitants of the district town.

The municipality subsidiary GaPa Tourismus asked citizens about their acceptance of tourism in March and April - in the form of an extensive questionnaire.

2227 returns were evaluated - “a representative image”, as Lars Bengsch, head of the dedicated consulting firm dwif-Consulting, added via video conference, noted.

The topic of the Congress House is excluded

Amazing: An important section of the study, which deals with the future of the aging congress center and the area at Richard-Strauss-Platz (site development planning GaPa 2030), was deliberately excluded - and is to be published separately at a later date. Not even a first trend of opinion could be found. Gerber was as silent as a grave - despite demand. It is not about secrecy, he emphasized. But he wants to keep the issues apart - opinions differ on the emotionally charged Kongresshaus question.

Be that as it may: Gerber and Bengsch presented the results in terms of tourism acceptance, divided into six core theses. The many statistics, percentages and analyzes that flew across the screen, may have been overwhelming for one or the other. But the flood of data brought some insights and insights that will definitely influence the discussion about the future of the district's key industry.

Most (84 percent) are aware of the great importance that tourism has for Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

This is also seen as predominantly positive.

"There are a lot of people who make a living from it," said Gerber, explaining the background.

It's not just about sales and jobs.

The local residents also benefit from the attractive infrastructure, from the large number of shops to the leisure facilities.

Complaints about traffic problems

But it is not all sunshine and rain.

The effects are sometimes perceived as an enormous burden, above all the traffic problems (94 percent), the price increases (81 percent), for example on the real estate market, and the "inappropriate behavior of guests" (74 percent).

What was meant by that, as we learned that evening, were primarily garbage and natural sins - a nuisance that occurred with full force in 2020 in the pandemic-related “Vacation at home” summer.

The result sounds worrying: Almost half of the respondents, specifically 47 percent, often no longer feel at home here - a clear alarm signal.

"That is too high to be accepted," commented Bengsch.

After all, the golden rule applies: only where the locals feel comfortable, the holidaymakers also do so.

The rush of excursions to the mountains in particular hurts many people.

91 percent see “particularly high loads” in day tourism.

No wonder that the demand to lower this area was formulated particularly frequently in the survey.

And something else is noticeable: it is the younger generations who particularly complain about the downside of the holiday business, who don't feel really taken with them and who demand a rethink.

And what conclusions do Gerber & Co. draw from the whole thing?

A question that shaped the subsequent short discussion with the mini-audience and in the chat.

Anton Hofer (Garmisch + Partenkirchen together) - the only councilor who had come to the congress center - spoke of a “wake-up call” and warned urgently against becoming a “Venice of the Alps”.

It didn't sound quite that dramatic with Gerber.

But the specialist also sees a need for action - and a need for discussion, especially with young people.

“We are facing challenges that are not easy,” he said.

His central message: the market will not be able to do this on its own.

“That has to be tackled collectively.” The complex traffic problem alone can only be solved at the regional level.

There is no shortage of ideas and strategies.

The key words that Gerber mentioned are well known.

Visitor management is one of them, for example.

Or an awareness of how to deal responsibly with nature.

And a digital information system that notifies you at Munich's Luise-Kiesselbach-Platz when the streets and parking spaces in Werdenfelser Land are full.