Germany: VDFU Representatives Meet with Members of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group at the German Bundestag
After the board members of the Association of German Amusement Parks and Attractions VDFU had already met several times during the year with representatives of government parties and state parliaments or their tourism officials to discuss the current problems of the leisure industry, yesterday VDFU board member Manuela Stone, Managing Director of LEGOLAND Deutschland Resort, and VDFU Managing Director Jürgen Gevers met with the Tourism Working Group of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag. The focus of the discussion was on the further increase in energy costs and the growing shortage of labour, with concrete follow-up measures also being debated with the MPs. After all, nine per cent of all employed persons in Germany work directly or indirectly in the tourism sector, as the Federal Government announced in response to an inquiry from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group back in the spring. Reason enough to consider, among other things, the possibility of a brief inquiry from the CDU/CSU to the federal government to ensure that leisure facilities such as amusement parks, cable cars and pools and spas are not forgotten in energy aid programs.
Anja Karliczek, tourism policy spokeswoman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group and chairwoman of the working group on tourism in the parliamentary group, emphasized to EAP in the follow-up to the meeting: “Amusement parks are an important pillar of Germany as a tourism location and an important employer, especially in structurally weak regions. Many sites are located in rural areas due to the large space requirements and provide important impulses for the overall economic development of the respective region <...> Due to technical facilities, many amusement parks have a higher energy demand than other leisure facilities. For this reason, the CDU/CSU tourism politicians want to push for the Federal Government to grant its aid for energy-intensive companies announced in the Third Relief Package not only to the manufacturing industry, but also to energy-intensive companies in the service sector,” said Karliczek.
Just yesterday, the European Waterpark Association (EWA) launched an Open Letter to Federal Minister of Economic Affairs Robert Habeck (The Greens) calling for support for waterparks and leisure pools as well as public bathing and sauna facilities. According to the EWA, there is a need for comprehensive support to maintain the range of services, which goes beyond the measures already provided for in the 3rd relief package. All proposals and the full text of the Open Letter (in German) can be found here. (eap)
