Berlin welcomes its guests according to their needs
ApartmentAllianz Berlin analyzes the election programs of the parties
The tourism and congress industry is one of Berlin’s most important economic and employment engines. Nevertheless, tourism and its development are rather neglected by politicians. The ApartmentAllianz sees this confirmed in its evaluation of the current election programmes. “What the parties have to say about tourism is characterised by cool calculation, generalities and defensive attitudes,” says Stephan la Barré, deputy chairman of the board of ApartmentAllianz Berlin. Only the Greens allow themselves an idea of hospitality and say that people come “to experience the diversity of Berlin, to enjoy art and culture, to relax here and to have a good time”, and the SPD finds the formulation that “gastronomy, hotels and tourist offers […] are hosts for the world”.
The Left Party and the Greens want city-wide control of tourism
An example of the often rather reserved attitude towards guests is how DIE LINKE describes the “negative side effects” of the “tourism boom”. The program mentions “beer bikes and coaches on the streets, wheeled suitcases and party noise, displacement of shops and businesses in grown neighborhoods by commercial monostructures geared towards tourism, and loss of living space by providers such as Airbnb” and contrasts these side effects with “soft tourism”. To this end, “visitors […] are to be distributed more evenly across the city” and a “city-wide control of tourism” is to be achieved.
While DIE LINKE sees tourism primarily as a regulatory challenge and the SPD wants to work for better “acceptance among the population”, the GREENS see their task above all in the protection of residents.
New hotels would have to be based on the “city compatibility and the number of already existing businesses and already planned locations would have to be put to the test.” Because “we can often use the space more sensibly – e.g. for new schools and affordable housing.” Likewise, the districts should be given more support “in order to relieve the neighborhoods particularly affected by overtourism with appropriate measures.” And “so that short-term rentals to tourists do not contribute to the housing shortage of this city,” the Greens want to “better regulate it through data-driven tracking and consistent implementation of the ban on misappropriation.”
Unlike DIE LINKE, however, the GREENS also recognize the economic potential. For example, the club scene is one of the reasons “that tourists and new residents come to the city, and thus also a relevant economic factor and an important part of the night economy”. Accordingly, the party is campaigning for its “own funding backdrop” and a “noise protection fund” in order to “secure clubs, small music venues and open-air formats in the long term”. Analogously, places such as the apron of Tempelhof Airport, the Straße des 17. Juni or the Olympic grounds including the Waldbühne are to be developed in a targeted manner in order to be able to hold large concerts, festivals or street festivals there.
SPD wants to use City Tax for tourism development
The current governing parties, the CDU and SPD, on the other hand, keep it short and sweet. For the Berlin Social Democrats, “tourism […] an indispensable economic pillar”. The party promises to work for better accessibility of Berlin as well as more “sustainable and decentralised tourism”. A statement on the city tax is noteworthy, the revenues of which are to be used “more for city-friendly and sustainable Berlin tourism”.
The CDU avoids the topic of city tax and instead promises to improve cooperation with Messe Berlin and visitBerlin as well as the working conditions of employees in Berlin’s hotel and catering industry and to support Berlin’s international reach with a binding cultural and sporting event strategy. In doing so, the CDU has its eye on major events such as possible Olympic Games or Expo2035.
Call for decentralization ignores the wishes of guests
The election programmes show an unwillingness to deal with the needs of guests and the resulting demands on infrastructure. “The SPD, the Greens and the Left Party would like to see decentralised tourism, but how and where the flow of visitors from the hotspots to the neighbourhoods is to be directed remains unclear,” says la Barré. “There are already numerous businesses away from the city locations that would like to welcome more guests with attractive local offers, from bakeries to galleries to restaurants and Späti. ”
La Barré explains the reluctance with the lack of a quality strategy, Berlin has in the past relied more on quantity than on quality. The reservations about party tourists and vendors who pay neither taxes nor minimum wages in Berlin and do not contribute to local economic development are therefore understandable.
“From the point of view of the Apartment Alliance, it is important to work out the DNA of Berlin as a non-conformist and innovative metropolis with appropriate event and sightseeing formats and matching individual accommodation offers, thus achieving a high level of guest loyalty. Local holiday apartment offers can also make their contribution to economically, socially and ecologically sustainable tourism,” says la Barré.
