Germany is grappling with a start to 2024 marred by strikes in transportation, both air and rail, which have had serious repercussions on the tourism sector. This has caused not only economic damage but also tarnished the image of a country perceived by travelers, both German and foreign, as a reliable destination for private and business trips. A positive image has been overshadowed by repeated strikes, creating an atypical situation for Germany, which is absolutely to be avoided in the future.
For this reason, the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW) organized a meeting between representatives from various sectors of the tourism industry and the Coordinator of the Federal Government for Maritime Economy and Tourism, Dieter Janecek, with the aim of summarizing the dramatic effects of the strikes and discussing possible solutions.
Decrease in trade fair attendance and additional costs to bear
The cancellation of trains and planes has had negative consequences for the entire German tourism industry: while hotels and restaurants have lost customers, trade fairs, museums, and amusement parks have recorded significant drops in attendance, while tour operators and travel agencies have been forced to bear additional costs for re-bookings, in addition to suffering losses due to cancelled trips.
A critical situation that was analysed at the meeting, where participants brought their own experience, data at hand. Thus, for example, the third day of the ITB trade fair in Berlin saw a drop in attendance of 20 per cent and the cancellation of numerous international business appointments. Oliver Bonke, CEO of the H World International hotel group and managing director of Steigenberger, clarified that a day of strike action by a transport company costs his company €190,000. The damage caused by past strikes amounted to approximately €3-3.5 million.
According to data from the Federal Association of the German Air Transport Industry, German airlines and airports suffered a total loss of revenue of over €395 million in 2019 and in 2022 due to strike activities in air traffic.
The appeal to politics for urgent intervention
The fundamental right to strike is certainly not in question, but the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry wanted to draw attention to the need for urgent management of these situations by politics, suggesting some avenues to pursue.
Firstly, it is requested that strikes in critical infrastructure sectors be minimized and, for example, preceded by mandatory mediation attempts; it is also requested to intervene to prevent different mobility providers from striking simultaneously – as happened during the ITB Berlin, when disruptions affected both rail and air traffic – so that customers can rely on alternative forms of transportation to and from the event. And again, it is suggested that the mobility sector give early warning of strikes, also to ensure a basic service offer at all times.
