Berlin - Former East Germany remains "significantly under-represented" as a tourist destination, a senior German minister said on Friday, at a conference aimed at boosting foreign visitors to the country's "new" federal states. Challenges included the public image of the former communist East, as well as the ability of tourist venues to accommodate foreign guests through foreign language abilities for example, said Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee.
Tiefensee is also the German minister responsible for overseeing the development of eastern Germany, which emerged in 1989 from decades of communist rule following the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Norbert Toedter of Germany's tourism board said the eastern states had much to offer, both in terms of culture as well as nature and relaxation. The region was also emerging as a destination for health holidays such as spa trips.
Set themes being marketed in the region included the waterscapes in the state of Mecklenburg-Pomerania, as well as golfing opportunities likely to appeal to Scandinavian visitors, Toedter said.
Since reunification in 1990, billions of euros have been poured into eastern Germany to develop infrastructure, encourage industry to the region and place east German living conditions on a par with the rest of the country.
This hasn't prevented a huge flow of people out of the former communist states, leaving behind thinly populated swathes of countryside.
Cities including Berlin, Dresden and Weimar have flourished, benefiting from renewed interest in the region, of particular relevance during the 20th anniversary year after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Nevertheless, large challenges remain in attracting visitors to some of the less well known eastern regions.
The president of the industry trade body, Reinhard Meyer, referred to "intercultural competencies," which needed brushing up on in order to attract foreign tourists.
"Are we prepared for foreign guests once we have drawn them here?" asked Meyer, pointing out that necessary adjustments ranged from tourist-friendly restaurant menus to more widespread credit card acceptance.
A more sinister problem is the perceived xenophobia in some parts of the former East.
High rates of unemployment, coupled with the old communist regime's failure to educate people about Germany's Nazi past, have led to the emergence of right-wing radical groups.
Tiefensee acknowledged the problem which he said, "isn't only relevant to tourism."
"Germinating right-wing extremism and xenophobia ... must be prevented, abolished and fought," Tiefensee said, adding that this already featured on the federal government's agenda.
Germany was investing heavily in programmes to prevent right-wing radicalization and coming down hard on people who contravened the law, the minister added.
Toedter added that Germany's history still played a role in people's perception of the country, and led to a degree of prejudice towards Germany as a travel destination.
However all agreed that it was history which was drawing increasing numbers of visitors to the region's historic capitals.
Germany's eastern states were a "touristic treasure trove," said the government's tourism envoy Ernst Hinsken.
Crucially, tourism is also an industry which supports 450,000 people in the eastern states, and 2.8 million jobs in Germany as a whole.
As Meyer pointed out, these are jobs that cannot be outsourced, in a sector larger than Germany's car industry. In times of recession, this gives added impetus to developing Germany's tourist appeal.
