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Chemnitz (dpa / sn) - The class trips, which were canceled due to the Corona crisis, primarily caused a number of visitors to the youth hostels in Saxony.
«Exact figures for 2020 are not yet available.
But we are assuming that we will have a maximum of 40 percent of the visitors in 2019, "said Susan Graf, Marketing Director of the Youth Hostel Association Saxony in Chemnitz.
Last year 348,000 guests were counted.
The summer brought a certain boost because families used the hostels.
But the deficiency was not compensated for, said Graf.
The number of overnight stays in previous years is a long way off.
So far, however, none of the 24 hostels belonging to the association and 4 others in the country have had to give up.
The 250 employees on average are on short-time work.
"We are currently offering our accommodations for various special uses," said Graf.
Opportunities as women's shelters or for housing the homeless could help at least to cushion the economic losses caused by the pandemic.
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The association is currently looking ahead to the first quarter of 2021 with great concern, it said.
With the extension of the lockdown until January 10th, the hope of a relatively normal winter business has fallen sharply.
Because of the expected failures, there is still an urgent need for political support.
"The houses not only have good equipment and hygiene concepts, but also specialist staff with plenty of experience," said Graf.
They therefore offer good conditions for special uses.
For example, youth hostels are currently used by members of the German Armed Forces who support the nursing staff in facilities in the Bautzen and Görlitz districts or help the health authorities with tracking down contacts.
Youth Hostel Association of Saxony