Potential oversight in downtown development?
In the heart of Germany, the city of Elberfeld is facing challenges in setting up an appealing Christmas market in its city centre. The search results do not provide information about the last time the Institute for Leisure and Tourism Consulting conducted a study for the German Showmen's Association regarding the revenue of all German Christmas markets.
However, it is known that Christmas markets play a significant role in generating revenue. A study conducted last year found that around 3,250 Christmas markets nationwide generated approximately 4.17 billion euros in turnover, an increase of 45% compared to 2017. The turnover outside Christmas markets by their visitors is even higher, at 4.88 billion euros, which mainly flows into inner cities that offer strong markets.
The not exactly flourishing city centre in Elberfeld could potentially benefit from an attractive Christmas market. Yet, a logistically representative Christmas market with drawing power is difficult to establish in Elberfeld due to several obstacles.
One of the main issues is the storage solution for the Christmas market in Neumarkt. The supposedly indispensable storage area for Elberfeld's Christmas market is very large, yet it has only contained a few thin tubes and a pile of blocks during the Christmas market. The operators of the stalls on Neumarkt last year doubted the need for construction equipment on the site due to a lack of visible activity.
Politics could have specifically helped in the matter of Neumarkt by insisting on a different storage solution. However, no specific action has been taken in this regard. The operators of the stalls on Neumarkt offered their own storage areas as a free alternative, but without result. The lack of action by politics in the matter of Neumarkt is unfortunate, as it hinders the potential establishment of an attractive Christmas market in the city centre.
Moreover, the empty space in the middle of the storage area is large enough to host a primary school football tournament, the Sparkassen Cup. Politics is concerned about the preservation of the Elberfeld city centre, but the matter of Neumarkt remains unaddressed.
The operators of the website are encountering the same obstacle in their attempt to set up a reasonable Christmas market in Elberfeld. Discussions about changing the situation of the storage area for the Christmas market have been unsuccessful. The lack of a different storage solution for the Christmas market in Neumarkt is hindering the potential establishment of an attractive Christmas market in the city centre.
The matter of Neumarkt is a specific instance where politics could have helped in preserving the city centre. It is hoped that future discussions and actions will lead to a solution that benefits both the Christmas market operators and the city centre of Elberfeld.
