Status: December 28, 2020 7:29 am
Corona has hit the economy in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania hard. According to Economics Minister Harry Glawe (CDU), there will be a more significant decline in gross domestic product in 2020 than during the 2009 financial crisis.
The gross domestic product fell by 5.2 percent in the first half of 2020. According to Glawe, this is the sharpest decline since Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was founded. Even during the financial crisis of 2009, the economy did not collapse as badly, at that time the output fell by 3.6 percent in the first half of the year.
Tourism: losses of around one billion euros
Tourism, retail and the service sector are particularly hard hit by the restrictions caused by the Corona crisis. The regional tourism association speaks of the most difficult year ever. “Because of the corona pandemic, we have dropped back to the level of overnight stays in 2007,” said association manager Tobias Woitendorf. After the record number of around 34 million overnight stays in 2019, the association calculates a minus of around a quarter.
The financial losses would be in the range of more than one billion euros. The months of August and September would have prevented even worse with high increases. Even if the restart is not in sight, Woitendorf was certain that lost ground could be conquered again. “We can assume that there will be high domestic demand.”
Glawe: Things are looking up again in 2021
Although the industry was still able to produce during the first lockdown in the spring, the effects were still considerable. Supply chains have been interrupted and export difficulties have exacerbated the situation. Nevertheless, Glawe is optimistic about the coming year, and he expects Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to see economic growth again.
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