Tough Year for German Tourism

Press Release
German National Tourist Board looks at 2021 as a transition year for incoming tourism
Incoming for 2020 as expected with strong losses compared to previous year – further growing readiness to travel opens up chances for first recovery approaches for 2021
Toronto, March 8, 2020 – 2021 will be a transition year for German incoming tourism due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A gradual recovery of international demand is likely to occur from 2021. The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) forecasts this on the basis of currently available figures for 2020 and the analyses of different market research institutes.

Petra Hedorfer, Chairwoman of the Executive Board for the German National Tourist Board (GNTB): “The Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting halt for many parts of worldwide tourism are mirrored in the results of German incoming tourism for 2020. At the same time, international research confirms the radiance of the Destination Germany brand and an increasing readiness to travel of international guests. The stakeholders of the German tourism industry faced the challenges of the crisis during the lockdown phases: Across the board of the customer journey, many processes were digitalized and extensive hygiene concepts were developed. Touristic offers were adjusted to the changing needs of the customer. This will lay the ground for the recovery phase.”

Incoming results 2020: Loss in overnights
As expected, German incoming tourism suffered substantial losses in 2020. According to preliminary data of the Federal Statistical Office, 32 million overnights by foreign visitors were recorded for tourist accommodations with more than ten beds and campsites, a loss of 64.4 percent compared to the previous year.

Perspective for 2021: Gradual recovery for international demand
The European Travel Commission is seeing a continuously growing readiness to travel for the coming months in its ‘Monitoring Sentiment for Domestic and Intra-European Travel‘. With the fourth survey wave at the beginning of December, 52 percent of all surveyed Europeans stated that they want to travel in the next six months, five percent more than with the third survey wave at the beginning of November. With the third survey wave, 27 percent of the surveyed had intentions to travel within April to June 2021, this increased to 32 percent with the following fourth (most recent) survey wave.

This scenario is confirmed through the forecast of the International Air Transport Association IATA. Their experts assume that the airlines’ sales worldwide after a decrease of 61 percent to 328 billion dollars in 2019/20 could increase by 40 percent to 459 billion dollars for 2021.

Petra Hedorfer: “Despite ongoing lockdown phases and travel restrictions, there are reasons for cautious optimism. With the experiences of the previous year, we anticipate a recovery of travel from Germany and Europe especially in the summer months. Incoming tourism from overseas markets will probably recover a bit slower. We also assume that leisure travel is coming back faster than business travel – the business travel segment will be enhanced by hybrid formats in the medium term and shaped by virtual events. Based on these developments, the pre-crisis level of German incoming can be reached again by 2024. The prerequisite for market recovery still are the digital transformation, innovations and a sustainable direction for Germany tourism.”
About the GNTBThe German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It works on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) to represent Germany as a tourist destination and is funded by the Ministry in accordance with a decision taken by the German Bundestag. The GNTB develops and communicates strategies and products to promote Germany’s positive image abroad as a tourist destination and to encourage tourists to visit the country. It has 27 agencies around the world to support its activities in over 40 markets worldwide. More information can be found in our online press centre at www.germany.travel.

Tara Brach’s : Radical Acceptance: Living your Life With The Heart of a Buddha”: Unreal People

“Once someone is an unreal other, we lose sight of how they hurt. Because we don’t experience them as feeling beings, we can inflict pain on them without compunction. Not seeing that others are real leads to a father disowning his son for being gay, divorced parents using their children as weapons. All the enormous suffering of violence and war comes from our basic failure to see others are real.

Kindness is a facet of the jewel of compassion. It is the desire to help that arises when we remember we are connected with every living being that we meet.

When we stop to attend and see other people as real, we uncover the hidden bond that exists between all beings.”

A Couple of Portuguese Reds

I had the great fortune to be invited to the Dão region of Portugal for a wine tour a few years ago. The Portuguese know very well how to arrange these tours. We lodged at a hotel in Viseu and made our forays into beautiful wine country each morning returning home in the late afternoon for a rest and then out for some fabulous food each night. Some of the best food was at the Quinta do Cabriz restaurant at the winery.

One winery visited was Quinta Cabriz. The red Cabriz was one of the wines we tasted and one that the Liquor Control Board of Ontario brings in in a few times of the year. It has a ruby colour. On the nose an abundance of red cherry with subsidiary notes of blackberry and violets. On the palate minimal tannins and unlike many lower priced wines it manages to carry through on the palate with the same notes as in the nose! Short finish. It certainly outperforms most Canadian wines at this price point.

As for sipping that works well. For food I don’t think it would stand up to beef but would pair well with Bachalau (cod casserole), cabrito (baby goat) or light intensity tomato sauce-based pasta or even pizza.

(Cabriz Colheita Selecionada 2017 DOC Dão, Global Wines, Carregal do Sal, Portugal, $14.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 247973, 750 mL, 13%, Robert K. Stephen a little birdie told me so Rating 91/100).

We head 90 minutes north and we are back in Oporto and after a boat or train ride we are in the Douro and we try a Três Bagos 2016 Tinto Reserva. This is red blend of Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca which you may wish to refer to as the workhorse grapes of the Douro.

As for aromatic characteristics blueberry, black cherry and blackberry and mild but persistent tannins on the palate. Predominating are black cherry and blueberry pie but as it opens up sweet cranberry with yet more pie but this time a cherry pie. A short but stocky finish. Not much elegance but no nonsense  and straight at you wine which will bulldoze you out of the way if you dare get in its path. Perhaps better to say it is a very solid and it has just a bit of sweetness as it first hits the palate but no mistake this is a dry wine. As it aerates it puffs out its chest and opens up the throttle. So decant this wine for an hour to settle down its youthfulness.

Better with food but serious wine lovers might find it is a good quaff without food. This would work magic with rare cuts of beef or ox. Also on a more North American note you could enjoy it with some brisket or smoked meat sandwich but in Opporto you must have the deadly delicious and obscenely rich Francesina sandwich that would have a smoked meat sandwich weeping at its feet. Beef, sausage, ham and cheese topped by a variety of sauces but most made with beer and simmered for hours. If you encountered a good one like my first time at Hotel Teatro in Opporto for lunch it will tide you over. I recall having one at the hotel then going for dinner with another Canadian journalist at Postigo do Carvao and facing a feast laid out by my owner pal Alex. I looked at this tremendous spread and silently groaned but did a fine job polishing off all manner of appetizers and a huge fish platter. Thank goodness my colleague was willing to walk back for an hour to our hotel and Porto almost a decade ago was a rough and tumble city not entirely safe in parts at night. Without that walk and a litre of water before bed I just may have exploded. A word from the wise.

“bagos” can be translated into “berries”.

This will improve and be drinkable until 2026.

(Lavradores de Feitoria, Três Bagos Reserva Tinto 2016, Douro DOC, $19.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 603761, 750 mL, 13.5%, Robert K Stephen a little birdie told me so Rating 94/100).

Vacay Ranks 20 Best Places for Post-Pandemic Travel in Canada


TORONTO, ONTARIO (March 9, 2021) — British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces lead a ranking of outstanding destinations to explore as the pandemic wanes. Noting the anticipated joyful celebrations that will likely coincide with fall harvest season, the digital magazine Vacay.ca™ has selected the South Okanagan at the top of its “20 Best Places to Travel in Canada for 2021”.
Produced by Canadian travel journalists, the ranking is sponsored by TrippzyTM, the mobile trivia game that provides real-world rewards such as flight discounts. 
With the pandemic expected to hinder tourism into summer, Vacay.ca™ predicts a focus on road trips that lead to nature escapes and smaller destinations. 
“We are thrilled to receive this recognition,” says Brad Morgan, Marketing Director of Travel Penticton and Managing Partner of Visit South Okanagan. “The diversity of experiences and the connectivity of the partner communities is what attracts visitors to the South Okanagan. We have something for everyone and the scenic route that connects us makes for a day-tripper’s paradise. We look forward to welcoming visitors when the time is right.”
While British Columbia places five locations on the list, the other side of the country enters six. Atlantic Canada, the region whose stance against COVID-19 was for much of 2020 the hallmark of public-health response in the country, features locations from all four provinces. Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island is ranked No. 2 as it continues to add to its world-class offerings. 
No. 1 South Okanagan consists of two larger destinations — Penticton in the north and Osoyoos in the south — and six small municipalities — Naramata, Peachland, Summerland, Okanagan Falls, Oliver, and Kaleden. The wine region offers a mind-boggling amount of quality experiences for travellers:

  • wide expanses of gorgeous scenery;
  • tours of wineries home to the nation’s best-quality vineyards; 
  • a growing bounty of culinary offerings;
  • a broad showcase of year-round nature activities;
  • Canada’s only desert region outside of the territories;
  • family-friendly resorts;
  • and Indigenous culture that connects it all. 

“This year, given what the world is going through, the South Okanagan was a clear choice for the No. 1 spot in our rankings,” Vacay.ca Co-founder Adrian Brijbassi says.
Full article: http://bit.ly/Vacay2021BestPlacesDownload Trippzy for iOS (Apple) or Android devices:
https://www.trippzy.com/app_landing.htmlVacay.ca™ 20 Best Places to Travel in Canada for 20211. South Okanagan, BC
2. Cape Breton Island, NS
3. Banff National Park & Lake Louise, AB
4. Dawson City, YT
5. Victoria & Cowichan Valley, BC
6. Prince Edward County, ON
7. Gaspereau & Annapolis Valleys, NS
8. Quebec City-to-Tadoussac, QC
9. St. John’s & Irish Loop, NL
10. Charlottetown, PE
11. Golden & Revelstoke, BC
12. Niagara Region, ON
13. Georgian Bay, ON
14. Gaspesie, QC
15. South Shore, NS
16. Shediac-to-Saint John, NB
17. Tofino & Pacific Rim National Park, BC
18. Saskatoon & Prince Albert National Park, SK
19. Kelowna, BC
20. Pukaskwa National Park, ON About Vacay.ca™
Vacay.ca™ is the leading source of Canadian travel. Independently owned and produced by award-winning Canadian journalists and travel experts, Vacay.ca™ uses the wealth of its editorial experience to deliver authoritative information about the best places to see, sleep, and eat in Canada.About Trippzy™
TrippzyTM is a Vancouver-based digital entertainment brand that brings gamification to the tourism industry. Its mobile trivia app provides travel rewards and education about the most desirable destinations in the world. Consumers can download the Trippzy app in the Apple Store or Google Play Store for free.

Poetry Break: “Again The Little Lost Boy Who Suffered for 45 Years”

Again The Little Lost Boy Who Suffered for 45 Years

8 years old
somewhat oblivious to reality
pretending to be asleep
his brother and sister whispered
so as not wanting the little boy to hear
that his father was dying of bladder cancer
what were they trying to hide?
clueless to the damage of this exclusion

And so the father died
the family did not take him to the funeral
so the little boy never experienced finality and the only opportunity to say good-bye
hurt, anger and confusion surfaced perhaps after 40 years
leaving only the tool of self compassion
to truly understand such a grievous loss
what good would come of the continual pain
and thinking carefully over many days with self compassion in the main
somewhat magically it flowed for all those involved in this conspiracy
they had their reasons and their minds were clouded with “selfish grief”
although grief it was
so forgiveness again to this little boy was in order
in this way sometimes this is the only way to cross the border and enter the state of Neutrality
please don’t think of self compassion as a form of La La Land bullshit
why not listen to the little boy?
who like you too can be finally free

Tara Brach’s “Radical Acceptance Embracing your Life With The Heart of a Buddha”; Self Compassion

“Offering ourselves such care might feel strange and unfamiliar at first, as it did for Daniel. Sometimes expanding compassion to ourselves in this way feels downright embarrassing. It can trigger a sense of shame about being needy and undeserving, shame about being self indulgent. But this revolutionary act of treating ourselves tenderly can begin to undo the aversive messages of a lifetime.”

Mutantism on the March: Chapter 16 “The Floodgates Open”

Chapter 16 “The Floodgates Open”

Squid swam on feeling like he had abandoned his aboriginal friends. His travels were extensive. Frequently he would be received with warmth and hospitality but more often than not he was chased away on suspicions he was some sort of evil omen or warlock. Squid eventually found a home in Twinbuckthree in what we call Fluidsia these days. He had walked through this African city and after having conversed with several of its inhabitants was quickly arrested on charges of espionage. The Great King Mobouto had heard of this strange creature and demanded a personal audience. The majority of the king’s advisors were dead set against this personal meeting wanting to execute Squid as a spy. But Mobouto’s word was law and the prisoner was fetched. The long meeting with Mobouto was one that impressed the king particularly with Squid’s views on urban planning. Squid’s unorthodox approach on irrigation and channelling of drinking water fascinated Mobouto. Charges against Squid were dropped and he was awarded the post of the king’s personal urban planner. Squid’s projects were undertaken with impressive results. His irrigation system doubled the harvest of cassava and his experience with the starving dinosaurs had impressed upon him the importance of a trustworthy food supply. For his efforts Squid was declared a high order prince.

Again his serenity was sent reeling with the arrival of white men in the kingdom. They were, like the Frenchman he had seen, filthy stinking and lacking in social manners. They were from a land where huge sewer rats wallowed in sewage pits spreading disease. If only his cultured African friends could have seen how backward these white men were. They pretended with Mobouto they were his great friends. These stinky filthy white men offered gaudy trinkets while they sniffed out for the huge gold stash. Being polite the locals feigned delight at he pieces of worthless junk offered as gifts. They were poor waifs. Who else would give such gifts as junk?

Poetry Corner: “The Lost Little Boy Who Suffered for 45 Years:”

The Lost Little Boy Who Suffered for 45 Years

Poor little gaffer when his father died when he was nine
dazed and confused he had no idea he was in for a rough time
wasn’t even allowed at the funeral that being a lasting psychological crime

Sent to a British style private school
with his poor shattered mind wandering
quiet suburban boy suddenly thrust into a cruel militaristic environment
beaten for his own good
with no compassion or drop of pity
totally lost and in a fog
in an institution his dying dad hoped would make him into a man
very bad choice for a lost soul
is certainly not a disciplinary hell hole
the poor waif failed his first year
humiliated with many a private tear
and returned the next
for endless humiliation and embarrassment of excruciating proportions
lasting for 6 some years
yet despite that blot on his record proceeded to great academic and scholarship success
although his mind was tangled up in bit of a mess
with anger for the bastards in that colonial militaristic unforgiving to his ego and his mind
so he grew up with great success with the pain of his humiliation slowly receding
but periodically he kept bleeding hating the bastards that so badly mauled him
even 45 years later a dull anger dogged his soul
until the little boy emerged in his mind in a blazer gray flannels and a tie
trembling with anxiety and fear in a place any of today’s psychiatrists would say
ABSOLUTELY NO WAY!
so he sat down every day trying to finally deal
with the dignity they endeavoured to steal
but he closed his eyes every day for a week
yet all he could see what that frightened little boy
so suddenly he changed his thought and gave himself some self compassion
and tears rolled down his eyes as he faced his suffering with an open heart
to treat his soul with a bit of tenderness and love instead of ignoring the blight he began to find light
from those who cursed him with a blight
compassion enveloped his heart and flowed beyond his suffering
and enveloped those who treated him like a failure and scum
by God these cruel men were mostly World War Two vets with their souls wracked by combat PTSD
the little boy could see how twisted and hurt they were
shown no compassion and care by those that sent them off to war
what emotions they had were warped by this scar
so the little trembling boy lost his anger, shame and humiliation
and actually after 45 years forgave them
and strangely he kept on thinking about this miracle closing his eyes each day
deeply thinking and found that his mind had said good-bye to the trembling little boy in his mind
who had gone to rest in peace never to return
but his compassion grew towards the many actors that had thrust him into such a horrific situation
and the traumas they too had suffered and it rippled further and further to unmask the several traumas he had suffered
and he will close his eyes and think, or meditate if you wish
and work with them with an open heart
perhaps the little boy will continue his emotional growth
and finally become free and finally be a bitterless man

Sardine Memories: Portugal’s Vinho Verde Wines and My Sardine Blues

Vinho Verde is in the Minho region just north of Opporto and actually some of the Minho juts into Spain. Vinho Verde can be made from 25 grapes or a combination of them. Traditionally these wines were so acidic you could see a slight fizz to the wine. Over the past few years they have improved into more, shall we say, serious wines.

Dinner at Postigo: Photo Robert K. Stephen

The wine I have chosen is a Muralhas de Monção. Monção and Ponte de Lima are the two areas for some of the best Vinho Verde I have tried.

When in Opporto I always drop in and see my friend Alex at his restaurant in old Opporto immensely popular with locals and tourists. The restaurant is Postigo do Carvao which in my mind is one of the best seafood restaurants in Portugal. It is non pretentious, down home and my go to restaurant for sardines. No not the ones in the can but grilled fresh. Mention you like grilled sardines to a Portuguese and their face will light up.

If you do go to the restaurant reservations are definitely required but given COVID how quickly Opporto will recover is unknown as it increasingly seems to rely on cruise ships which we know are petri dishes for COVID and the Norwalk virus. Also go hungry as the appetizers are incredible and many! And the roast potatoes!

Well my go to wine for the sardines I eat and miss so sorely is the Muralhas de Monção which suits sardines and all the white fleshed ocean fish on his menu. Yes there are meat dishes on the menu but please this is Portugal right on the Atlantic.

The wine is a blend of Alvarinho and Trajadura. And you can see the tiny spritzy bubbles especially after you have poured it. On the nose this golden coloured wine has notes of lime, lemon, and melon with a slight hint of butterscotch. On the palate the acidity is not going to scrape the enamel of your teeth but it pairs well the oily sardines. Some bare bones apple and pear on the palate with a short finish with a hint of milk to it. Alright as a wine it is not going to get a rave review from me but with Postigo seafood it is a killer.

Yes I have The Sardine Blues and the only vaccine for that for me is a plate of sardines at Postigo.

(Muralhas de Monção 2019, Monção e Melgaço Vinho Verde DOC, Adega Coop. Regional de Monção, Monção, Portugal, $ 15.95, LCBO # 80374, 12.5%, 750 mL, Robert K. Stephen Set The Bar Rating, 87/100)

Tara Brach’s “Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With The Heart of the Buddha”; Self Compassion

” If we’ve injured someone and are embroiled in guilt and self-recrimination, compassion for ourselves allows us to find a wise and healing way to make amends. If we are drowning in grief and sorrow, arousing compassion helps us remember the love and connection in our life. Rather than pushing them way, we free ourselves by holding our hurting places with the unconditional tenderness of compassion. Compassion means to be with, feel with, suffer with. Classical Buddhist texts describe compassion as the quivering of the heart, a visceral tenderness in the face of suffering. As we practice responding to our suffering with the kindness of compassion, our hearts can become, as Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg says, as wide as the world.”