Germany: EWA Claims Comprehensive Deficit Compensation for Leisure Pools and Spas

Germany’s leisure pools and spas are facing a “tough winter”, according to the European Waterpark Association (EWA). “We have considerable additional expenses in our facilities for the implementation and control of the comprehensive protective measures for our guests as well as our employees. At the same time, turnover is dropping dramatically due to the limitations on visitor numbers. If now, as is becoming apparent, the existing restrictions have to be continued beyond the turn of the year due to the worrying development of the number of cases and are even tightened in some federal states by the introduction of a 2G rule, the expected economic consequences for the public baths and also for the suppliers and service providers dependent on them are no longer sustainable. A continuation of the bridging aid III will not be sufficient to absorb the cost increases on the one hand and the reduced revenues on the other” – as the association estimates, whose pools are visited by about 140 million guests every year.

In a letter to the Managing Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, MdB Peter Altmaier, the EWA therefore demands a comprehensive deficit compensation for leisure pools and spas based on the revenues generated in the comparable period of 2019. “Especially the times when leisure pools and spas in Germany had to remain closed have shown how important these spa offers are for people’s lives. Pools are genuine places to fight the pandemic, because swimming and taking a sauna have been proven to increase the body’s defences against infectious diseases. In addition, bathing facilities are places where people can relax, which is a value that should not be underestimated, especially in times of crisis,” explains EWA Managing Director Dr Klaus Batz. There is an acute need for and a real option for action, says the letter to the Federal Minister, which ends with an urgent appeal: “Please act in the interest of all people for whom our baths should also be saved in the future as places for health-oriented leisure activities”.