The tourism industry in northern Germany is insisting on better public transport connections to vacation destinations in order to better meet customer demands for more environmentally friendly vacations. Especially in rural areas, travel and local mobility by rail and public transport must be improved through investments, new vehicles and sustainable offers, according to a statement published on Thursday at the North German Tourism Conference in Papenburg, Emsland.
The industry is also struggling with what tourism companies see as excessive bureaucracy. Entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry have to comply with 125 legal regulations, of which up to 70 percent have nothing to do with the business process, but are carried out solely for the authorities. On average, an entrepreneur works 14 hours of overtime per week in order to comply with government obligations. The announced abolition of registration forms for German guests in hotels is therefore to be welcomed. However, domestic business travelers with foreign passports and tourists from other countries should also be exempt from filling out the registration form.
The simplifications in the immigration of skilled workers were welcomed. For example, for skilled workers with vocational training or a university degree to obtain a residence permit, the immigrant's occupation does not have to be related to their training or degree - with some exceptions. "In tourism in particular, there must be sufficient skilled workers available at the start of the season," said Bernhard Brons, Chairman of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) North and President of the IHK Ostfriesland und Papenburg: "We therefore expect clear regulations with the amendments to the law in order to keep processing times as short as possible."
Copyright 2024, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
