Young talent for tourism: Successful lounge in Saxon Switzerland

Young talent for tourism: Successful lounge in Saxon Switzerland

In the last few weeks, the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district has taken major steps to attract and retain young talent for the tourism industry. A central project that was launched is the “foundation of a cooperative for joint human resources management in tourism,” which was initiated by the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains skilled workers alliance in collaboration with human resources marketing expert Sylvia Lorenz. This initiative aims to overcome the challenges in personnel recruitment, employee retention and qualification, while at the same time promoting knowledge transfer, as wochenkurier.info reports.

An important part of this strategy was the first “Youth Lounge Tourism”, which took place on June 17, 2025 in the “Marie Louise Stolln” visitor mine in Bad Gottleuba-Berggiesshübel. Around 60 participants, including 33 trainees from eight companies in the hotel, catering and leisure industries, came together to present their companies and network with one another. The aim of the event was to strengthen identification with the district and to get to know the trainees better, as sachsen.tourismusnetzwerk.info describes in detail.

A strong commitment to the future

District Administrator Michael Geisler opened the event with a welcoming speech in which he emphasized the great interest in tourism in the region. The managing director of the Saxon Switzerland Tourism Association, Tino Richter, informed those present about various further training initiatives and networking opportunities. The trainees also had the opportunity to present their creative ideas, which illustrated the diversity in the industry. Last but not least, the event was a great platform to involve international trainees from countries such as Vietnam, India, Morocco and the Czech Republic, and to promote collaboration between local and international talent, according to information from wochenkurier.info.

In order to further promote the exchange, the event ended with a joint hike to the whirlpool holes on the Forellensteig. This activity not only supported networking among the participants, but also provided a beautiful opportunity to experience the region's impressive nature, further strengthening the bond with the district. The skilled workers alliance, consisting of 19 regional actors, continues to work intensively on strategies to secure skilled workers and strengthen regional networks.

Securing skilled workers in tourism

However, the challenges in the tourism industry are not just regional. In other parts of Germany, too, the shortage of skilled workers in this industry is currently perceived as an urgent problem. As part of a research project in Bavaria, we are investigating how New Work measures, psychological empowerment and employee experience are connected in the tourism sector. The findings should help to develop measures to improve employee retention and recruitment, as bzt.bayern states.

Overall, it can be said that the initiative in the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district is a step in the right direction in order to effectively meet the challenges of the tourism market and sustainably increase the region's attractiveness as an employer.