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Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Berlin and Brandenburg offer many opportunities for water sports enthusiasts.
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Passenger shipping is an important part of water tourism in north-eastern Germany.
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Sports boat harbors on lakes and coasts in the northeast are always well booked during the season.
From the Spree to the Baltic Sea - the federal states of Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania want to intensify their joint promotion of water tourism and have registered the "Deutschlands Seenland" ("Germany's Lake District") brand for this purpose.
The area includes more than 5,000 lakes and 60,000 kilometers of flowing waters. This makes it Germany's largest contiguous water sports area, according to a joint statement by the tourism organizations of the federal states.
"Our goal is clear: we want to get people excited about our unique water offerings together," explained Franziska Giffey (SPD), Mayor of Berlin and Senator for Economic Affairs. The cooperation between the three countries should make it easier for water lovers to plan their sport or vacation, to know the applicable rules and to enjoy their tours.
"This cooperation is a win-win situation for everyone: together and across state borders, we can make even better use of the great tourism potential on the water," said Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Blank (non-party) with conviction. His Brandenburg counterpart Daniel Keller (SPD) added: "Water tourism generates added value and quality of life in the regions, as it strengthens regional infrastructures as well as hospitality and leisure-related offers. Locals and guests alike benefit from this."
According to the press release, both water-loving holidaymakers and locals can find tips for multi-day vacation trips on the updated deutschlands-seenland.de website - whether on a houseboat, by canoe or in combination with a bike. According to a recent study, water tourism in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern alone generates an annual turnover of around one billion euros. According to the study, the industry provides work for more than 19,000 people in the state, whether in marinas, rental and charter companies or in catering establishments. And this is despite the fact that only twelve percent of vacation guests actually take advantage of the wide range of water tourism offers, it said.
As the head of the study, Karsten Heinsohn from the Institute of Economic Research for Tourism (diwf), said, there is still considerable room for growth in even closer coordination between the providers in Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. "Rivers and lakes do not stop at state borders. Our aim is to create an attractive, sustainable water tourism offering that transcends state borders," said Blank. Defective locks and the occasional lack of lock personnel had damaged the reputation of the industry in the recent past and led to criticism.