Last-minute travelers who still want to travel over the festive season still have a chance of finding accommodation in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The demand on the North Sea and Baltic Sea varies from region to region, and in many places it gets a little tighter on New Year’s Eve.
On Lower Saxony’s North Sea coast, tourism professionals traditionally expect many guests over Christmas and especially at the turn of the year. According to tourism experts, however, the increased prices are depressing the travel mood. “Many people keep their money together,” said Wiebke Leverenz from Ostfriesland Tourismus GmbH – and that also affects the demand for vacations. Spontaneous travelers can therefore still find space in hotels, holiday apartments and guesthouses along the coast.
The East Frisian Islands are satisfied with the utilization, but also report some room for improvement. “The booking situation is basically not bad. However, we have an occupancy rate of around 80 percent over the turn of the year. In the past we were between 90 and 98 percent. So the demand is a little lower,” said Rieka Beewen from the Wangerooge spa administration.
Very inconsistent booking situation
Utilization varies greatly in Schleswig-Holstein. In some places there is hardly a room available on the public holidays; other places complain about a significantly lower occupancy rate than in previous years. “The booking situation in the country is more inconsistent than it has been for a long time,” said Manuela Schütze, spokeswoman for the Schleswig-Holstein Tourism Agency (TASH).
The booking figures for Christmas and the turn of the year in the North Sea resort of St. Peter-Ording are below the previous year’s figure. The local tourism experts assumed that the uncertainty caused by the energy crisis was the reason for this reluctance, said Schütze. On the North Sea island of Föhr, capacity utilization was between 70 and 80 percent more than two weeks before Christmas.
According to an industry survey by the state tourism association, the tourism industry in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is starting the Christmas and New Year’s business with subdued expectations among around 350 companies. Accordingly, the expected occupancy rate for Christmas in the houses is around a third and thus lower than in previous years. According to the information, almost 60 percent are currently booked on New Year’s Eve; the expected utilization is around 70 percent.
