Overview

• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern tourism minister Wolfgang Blank criticized a €24.40 pork schnitzel in Binz and warned that high restaurant prices could send visitors elsewhere.
• Blank contrasted Baltic prices with meals he said cost €8–€9 in Japan, a comparison hospitality representatives argued ignores fundamental differences in wages and costs.
• Dehoga state chief Lars Schwarz rejected the minister’s broad judgment and pointed to higher wages, the return to 19% VAT, and rising energy and food bills as price drivers.
• Comparable schnitzel prices were reported at other Baltic resorts, including €24.10 in Heringsdorf and €24.20 in Kühlungsborn.
• A Sparkassen Tourismus-Barometer cited weak price–performance ratings for the state, falling guest satisfaction, and real revenue declines across East German hospitality.