Mixed season for campsite operators

Camping in Saxony is popular, even if the weather doesn't always play along. (Archive image) / Photo: Hendrik Schmidt/dpa

June a top month for camping tourism

The Ministry of Tourism spoke of a "top month" for camping tourism. There was significant growth in the regions popular with campers: in Upper Lusatia, the increase in overnight stays in June was a good 30 percent, in Saxon Switzerland 22.7 percent. The state capital Dresden recorded a good 51 percent more overnight stays, while the Chemnitz-Zwickau region recorded the largest increase at 74.7 percent. Chemnitz is the European Capital of Culture 2025 and therefore attracts visitors from all over the world.

May and July, on the other hand, were less successful. According to the state tourism association, fewer guests came than in the same period last year. However, 2024 was an excellent year for the campsites, it said. In May, the more than 100 campsites in the state counted around 124,000 overnight stays (down 31 percent), in July there were 216,000 overnight stays (-8.5 percent).

Visitors from Poland and the Czech Republic

At the Bad Sonnenland campsite in Moritzburg near Dresden, rain has somewhat dampened the enthusiasm for camping. "We have many guests from the immediate vicinity who come spontaneously," says Managing Director Gundula Bleul. As a result, July was slightly worse than the previous year due to the bad weather - even though 2024 was an "extremely good year". Motorhome pitches are also increasingly in demand.

At Seecamping Zittauer Gebirge in the district of Görlitz, Managing Director René Dreier is satisfied. The weather didn't have that much of an impact, "because we also have many leisure activities regardless of the weather." Although he has noticed a slight drop in visitor numbers, on the whole things have been similar to 2024. Many Brandenburgers and Saxons spontaneously come to the campsite on Lake Olbersdorf when they are on vacation in the region. However, the number of Czech and Polish visitors is now also increasing.

All in all, camping tourism in Saxony is on a "clear growth path" according to the state tourism association. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, camping is also gaining in importance. In 2024, a total of 1.08 million overnight stays were counted at campsites in the region.

Rising costs as a challenge

The Central German Association of the Camping and Motorhome Industry is rather cautious about the season. "The summer was more of an average fall with four weeks of rain," said association head Jens W. Bohge. In addition, the season started relatively late at the end of April with Easter. This is noticeable in the figures. Also, many campers no longer have enough money. Some would only come for a week instead of 14 days, others would forego the spontaneous short trips at the weekend.

The price trend is also problematic. "The costs for wages and energy are flying around our ears," says Bohge, who himself runs the Grünewalder Lauch campsite in Brandenburg. The industry has no reason to complain, but "there are plenty of challenges."

Mixed season for campsite operators

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