The Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, visited Südwestfalen yesterday and also met with representatives of Sauerland-Tourismus e.V.. He and his delegation, led by State Secretary Dr. Bernd Schulte, were able to experience the proverbial Sauerland hospitality over lunch at the Romantikhotel Haus Platte in Repetal near Attendorn. He was welcomed by the chairmen of Sauerland Tourism, Frank Linnekugel and Philipp Scharfenbaum, as well as the hotelier couple Christof Platte and Gaby Platte.
Hendrik Wüst showed great interest in the development of tourism in the Sauerland, especially after the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Jürgen Fischbach, Managing Director of Sauerland Tourism, emphasized the special economic importance of tourism in the Sauerland in conversation with the Minister President. With an annual gross turnover of around three billion euros, the hospitality industry makes a significant contribution to value creation in the region.
However, the challenges that tourism is currently facing were also addressed. Frank Linnekugel reported that the literal crisis ABC "highway bark beetle corona" is putting a lot of pressure on the industry. It will be particularly important for the future to maintain an attractive landscape in the Sauerland. Philipp Scharfenbaum emphasized the importance of forest conversion in the Sauerland as a result of the forest calamity and, in particular, the restoration of forest roads for forest farmers and the forestry sector. However, tourism is also directly affected by this, as the many forest trails are the basis for outdoor activities such as hiking and cycling, on which demand in the Sauerland depends to a large extent.
In addition to forest conversion, the issue of wind power also plays a role. Hotelier Christof Platte reported on his concerns that an uncontrolled expansion of wind power could have on tourism demand in his business and in the Sauerland. Minister President Hendrik Wüst took this concern very seriously and reaffirmed the responsible actions of the state government in this context.
There was also an intensive exchange on the subject of the shortage of labor/skilled workers in the hospitality industry. Christof Platte reported on the successful integration of Ukrainian refugees and workers from various countries of origin at his company. In this context, Philipp Scharfenbaum appealed to the head of government for a more flexible legal framework for the local immigration authorities in order to enable well-suited migrants to integrate quickly and successfully into the labor market and thus into local society. This issue, not only in relation to tourism, is taken very seriously by the NRW state government and is being addressed with great commitment.
Dr. Jürgen Fischbach thanked Minister President Wüst for the support from the state government. The government had set up funding programs to help overcome the problems during and after the coronavirus pandemic. These funds were also used to implement important tourism projects. Dr. Fischbach expressed his hope that the region would continue to benefit from funding in the future.
Minister President Wüst thanked him for the interesting one-hour exchange and then continued his visit program in the direction of Attendorn.
Contact for the press:
Anna Galon, Sauerland-Tourismus e. V.
Johannes-Hummel-Weg 1, 57392 Schmallenberg
Tel.: 02974-969850, e-mail: presse@sauerland.com
