News & Stories

Berlin. As compensation for the so-called Lockdown Light, which prohibits the opening of restaurants and touristic overnight stays in hotels in Germany in November, the government has promised a special November financial Aid. The money has not yet been paid out, but at least it can be applied for. Nevertheless, the industry continues to fear for its existence and the Corona protection measures are becoming increasingly confusing.

Vienna. Just like in Germany, the 'lockdown light' has shown itself to weigh heavily on the sectors to which it applies in Austria. The measure, introduced by executive decree, came into force on 3 November and will apply until the end of that month for the entire tourism and leisure industry. 80% of revenue, calculated on the basis of figures from November 2019, is to be reimbursed to those affected, but there are other problem areas. The most urgent: Funds need to be released quickly. The damage to business finances is occurring now: Even individual hotels are already losing millions in advance payments for Christmas bookings.

Frankfurt/M. The German meetings and congress industry continues to suffer. A recent study shows: With the first lockdown, 70% fewer seats were available. But the second lockdown "light" will again destroy a lot of things. Nevertheless, the associations remain optimistic.

Rome. Italian tourism has already suffered losses of more than 16 billion euros in the first eight months of this year. Two different studies conclude that another lockdown could deal a final blow to the industry. The experts say the government must declare the state of emergency for the tourism industry.

Berlin. Lockdown light? No way. The new corona measures announced by the German Chancellor this Wednesday are the super disaster for the hotel and tourism industry. The disappointment about the lack of confidence in the industry is deep and large parts of the industry have already lost faith in financial promises anyway. Lobbying has failed. Now only rapid tests will help. A virologist and the COO of Mandarin Oriental praise them. It could be the game changer for the industry and the economy.

Madrid. This week, Spain faced two big announcements. Firstly, a second state of emergency was announced within one year. Secondly, the Canary and the Balearic Islands were included in the checklist of safe destinations for their main European source markets, Germany and the UK.

Bern. The aggravations in Switzerland, announced on Wednesday, will further worsen the already dramatic situation in the industry. In order to cushion a wave of insolvencies and layoffs from 2021, the Swiss Hotel Industry Association is calling in particular for hardship assistance amounting to 500 million Swiss francs.

Berlin. Headlines, court rulings, dismissed cases, a fourth traffic light colour, even stricter restrictions and everything always at short notice: the corona chaos is increasing every week. There is no longer any planning at all - although people still want to travel. News of this week.

Hamburg. While Europe is still in the stranglehold of Covid-19, the crisis in China is basically considered to be mastered. It is slowly becoming apparent that Chinese travellers will soon be travelling to Europe again. Training programmes for hotels are helping them to adapt to the new demands.

Bern. The situation in the Swiss hotel industry is worsening throughout the country, says the HotellerieSuisse industry association according to its latest survey. The probability of bankruptcies is growing, especially in Zurich and Geneva.