Meißen's Mayor Olaf Raschke becomes Chairman of the Elbland Dresden Tourism Association

Olaf Raschke, Lord Mayor of the city of Meißen, is taking over as Chairman of the Board of the Tourismusverband Elbland Dresden (TVED). He succeeds Bert Wendsche, Lord Mayor of the city of Radebeul, who has held the position since 2011 and will act as first deputy in future. Wendsche himself had asked the members' meeting in June to step down from his previous position due to his growing parallel workload as Vice President of the Saxon Association of Towns and Municipalities. Raschke would like to further raise the profile of the Dresden Elbland brand and increase the impact and financial strength of the association. The Saxon wine culture should become more tangible.

Raschke has been Lord Mayor of the city of Meißen since 2004. He has already been active in tourism for several years, including as a member of the Committee for Economic Affairs and the European Single Market of the German Association of Cities and Towns and the Saxon Association of Towns and Municipalities, where he is a member of the board and tourism policy spokesperson. The 56-year-old has been on the board of the tourism association since 2011, most recently as first deputy chairman. He has also been Chairman of the Tourism Policy Committee at the Saxony Tourism Association since 2015.

"I am looking forward to continuing the good relationship with Dresden Marketing GmbH for the joint marketing of the Dresden Elbland travel region", explains Raschke. It is important to him to further strengthen awareness of the Dresden Elbland brand among potential guests, but also within the region among service providers, and to close any gaps in the area of regular members in the association's territory.

Raschke believes that the most pressing challenges currently facing tourism businesses in the association area are the shortage of staff and skilled labour, a lack of business successors and a general reluctance to invest in rural areas. "These are supra-regional issues that also threaten the variety of offers and service quality in our region", said the politician, who is not a party member.

The Görlitz native cites investment in the tourism infrastructure in the Elbland region as a concrete measure to improve the region's competitiveness. Supra-regional products in particular, such as the Saxon Wine Trail or the Saxon Wine Route, require a demand-orientated overhaul and a qualitative upgrade. The wine culture in the region should be made even more tangible and historic terraces should be preserved. The wine landscapes play an important and characterising role, especially for tourism in the Elbland. They deserve special protection, including from excessive scrutiny by the authorities", says the new head of the association.

Raschke has announced the establishment of a "network of tourist information centres" from 2020 to relieve the burden on tourist information staff. Among other things, the association would like to take on tasks that can be performed more efficiently and cost-effectively centrally.

Outgoing Chairman Bert Wendsche is handing over an association that has undergone a far-reaching strategic realignment in recent years: the merger of the two tourist destinations "Sächsisches Elbland" and "Dresden" into "Dresden Elbland". "This was and is the right way", Wendsche is convinced. "2008 we had 4.6 million reportable overnight stays in the region. In 2019, it was almost six million. I think this result proves everyone involved right."

The 55-year-old hopes that his successor and the region will succeed in realising the destination's great potential, both within the Elbland region and in conjunction with Dresden. "For our guests and for the people and companies in our region."