It doesn't have to be Campania or Canada, many travel enthusiasts would be satisfied with a short trip to the local recreation area in the times of lockdown to satisfy their wanderlust. This is especially true for campers, for whom it is easy to comply with any hygiene rule in their mobile apartments. Therefore, last month, a group of industry experts wrote an open letter to the Federal Chancellor and the Prime Ministers of the federal states, asking for the camping and parking spaces to be opened. To date, there has not been an answer, nor has the concern been taken into account in the early deliberations about possible easing last week. Now it's on to the streets. On March 13, 110 motorhomes and caravan teams want to make themselves heard in Düsseldorf with a car parade approved by the authorities.
“When it comes to tourism, camping is missing from the current debate. This is surprising, because the summer of 2020 has shown how successfully camping holidays can be designed in accordance with corona protection. That is why we wholeheartedly support the reopening concept, including its clear 'traffic light' escalation levels, which the BVCD presented on February 17th. ”The signatories of the open letter justified their request with these sentences, among other things. They include campsite operators, tourism managers and experts whose business models have in some cases come to a standstill.
Opening the places up would also help children. In February, pediatricians in Essen made an emergency call to the mayor of the city on the Ruhr. They warned of how abnormalities manifest themselves in their young patients and urged that the collateral damage of the lockdown be more focused. Similar appeals have been made by psychotherapists and psychiatrists in relation to adults and by women’s shelters in relation to escalating domestic violence.
The car or caravaning corso should start at 14 p.m. in parking lot 1 of the Düsseldorf exhibition center and head towards the city center. The location of the action is chosen with care. After all, Messe Düsseldorf is the venue for the world's largest caravanning trade fair, the Caravan Salon. Last year the exhibition was able to take place in September with a reduced number of visitors and exhibitors. Other trade fairs such as the CMT in Stuttgart and Reise + Camping in Essen, on the other hand, fell victim to the lockdown.
The campaign is intended to attract greater and broader attention to the concerns of the organizers, who are particularly concerned about the failure to comply with their letter. Quite a few citizens are affected. There are currently almost 600.000 motorhomes and at least as many caravans in Germany. The caravans can only be recorded imprecisely because many of them have a stationary life on permanent campsites in local recreation areas and are not registered. They are mostly inhabited by families, here the user factor is four. In the case of motorhomes, the number of campers varies between two and three. Calculated cautiously, there are more than 3,6 million people who are currently not allowed to use their leisure vehicles.
Parking spaces and camping sites are closed as tourist overnight stays are currently not permitted. However, if you can prove that you are traveling for work, and can even prove this with a letter from your employer, you will be welcomed at campsites, provided they are open. In spite of such a letter, anyone who disregards the no-parking signs on the parking spaces or barriers with flutter tape is liable to prosecution.
However, a basic right in the road traffic regulations remains unaffected. Anyone who stays overnight in a motorhome and does so for the purpose of “restoring their driving ability” has the right on their side. Camping furniture and grill must remain in the trunk, because camping is not allowed in this case.