Despite the overcrowding of popular excursion destinations in Bavaria when the weather is nice, Tourism Minister Michaela Kaniber (CSU) doesn’t believe in entrance fees like in Venice. “This is of course also a form of control, but where is the participation? A cultural asset should be accessible to as many people as possible – without a price tag,” the minister told the “Straubinger Tagblatt”. She also rejects a deterrent campaign based on the motto “Don’t visit us”. “Bavaria is a hospitable country, every guest is welcome. I find it off-putting when a country spreads such an image of itself. We in Bavaria are happy about the whole world.”
The tourism minister prefers to rely on technical aids: “There are days of the year when visitors are quite crowded there. That’s why you have to be clever and manage visitors, ideally digitally, so that you get the warning on your cell phone in the morning: Better today visit another point in the area,” is Kaniber’s recommendation. But the CSU politician doesn’t want to talk about overtourism. This term is only justified if there is no longer any relaxation, there is only traffic chaos and the parking lots and sights are permanently overloaded. “But not if it’s just a daily spike.” The term “overtourism” is a deterrent. “It shouldn’t be the case that we take proactive action to ensure that people stop coming. Ultimately, the locals also benefit from tourism because a lot of infrastructure and added value is created.”