Ribnitz-Damgarten/Bergen (dpa/mv) – Citizens’ initiatives in the northeast have criticized the expansion of tourist infrastructure. The “No mass tourism in Pütnitz” initiative addressed a letter to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) on Thursday. The authors call on the state not to subsidize the planned amusement park near Pütnitz (Vorpommern-Rügen district).
On the initiative of the amusement park operator Center Parcs, several partners want to build a large facility with thousands of beds on the Pütnitz peninsula. From the point of view of the citizens’ initiative, this cannot be explained in terms of energy consumption in view of the energy crisis. There are also foreign investors behind Center Parcs, who are primarily concerned with profit. The city of Ribnitz-Damgarten wants to sell land below value and is financially overwhelmed by the project. Supporters, on the other hand, see an important investment in the future of the region.
In a statement on Wednesday, the citizens’ initiative “Liveable Rügen” spoke out in favor of limiting the expansion of bed capacities and holiday accommodation on Germany’s largest island. The initiative calls for a committee with citizen participation to control tourism development. A kind of island council has been discussed for some time. Similar to the island of Usedom, tourist traffic overwhelms the infrastructure on Rügen, especially in the high season. In addition, there are high real estate prices and a lack of infrastructure for locals.
