Overview

• Minister Wolfgang Blank said menu prices around €24 for a pork schnitzel at Baltic resorts are excessive, citing examples in Binz (€24.40/€24.50), Heringsdorf (€24.10) and Kühlungsborn (€24.20).
• Blank argued the price–performance ratio is slipping and warned that visitors may choose other destinations, noting he ate very well in Japan for the equivalent of €8–9.
• Lars Schwarz of the Dehoga association rejected the critique as uninformed and highlighted wage differences, pointing to roughly €6.50 hourly pay in Japan versus €12.80–€13.32 in Germany and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s hospitality sector.
• Industry representatives attribute higher menu prices to rising energy and food costs, increased wages and social charges, and the return of restaurant VAT to 19%.
• The Sparkassen Tourismus-Barometer reports a 2.7% price-adjusted revenue drop for East German hospitality in 2024 and declining guest satisfaction, with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern also showing above-average hotel and food prices.