Tourism industry on the upswing, but shortage of skilled workers

Saxony's tourism industry once again achieves growth, but remains below the record figures of 2019 in the first half of the year. From January to June, 3.7 million guests with almost 9.2 million overnight stays were counted. These were increases of 4.6 and 2.6 percent, according to the Ministry of Tourism and the state tourism association. "Tourism in Saxony has found its way back onto the road to success," stated Tourism Minister Barbara Klepsch (CDU).

Many businesses are facing major challenges

The President of the State Tourism Association, Jörg Markert, explained that people like to come to Saxony because of its hospitality and appreciate the diverse nature and rich cultural offerings. Nevertheless, there are still a number of concerns for the industry. These include rising prices, an increasing reluctance to buy in the hospitality industry and a shortage of skilled workers. This poses major challenges for many businesses.

The development also varies from region to region. While the regions of Upper Lusatia/Lower Silesia, Saxon Switzerland, Elbland and the city of Dresden reported significant increases in overnight guests, the Ore Mountains and the Chemnitz-Zwickau region lagged behind the half-year figures for 2023.

European Football Championship brings guests to Saxony

A driver of the growth was reportedly guests from abroad. One reason for this is likely to have been the European Football Championships. In June alone, the number of foreign guests increased by almost a third (31.9 percent), while the number of overnight stays rose by 29.5 percent.

According to figures from the State Statistical Office, visitors from the Netherlands led the way (up 80.2 percent). There was also significant growth in visitors from the Czech Republic and Croatia. The national teams of these three countries played matches in Leipzig in June and attracted many fans to the region.

However, the statisticians calculated that overnight stays in Leipzig did not benefit from the European Men's Football Championship in June as expected. Although the number of foreign guests in the city rose sharply, the number of visitors from Germany fell compared to the previous year. The bottom line for Leipzig is a 10 percent drop in visitor numbers.