The abolished carnivals will cost the German economy more than a billion

The carnival season brings people not only fun, but in the case of Germany also significant support for the local economy. However, the pandemic of the new coronavirus thwarted the carnival party this year. Data released by the Federal Statistical Office Destatis on Tuesday showed that imports of "carnival and entertainment goods" into Germany between January and November 2020 reached only 71.3 million euros, a decrease of 23.2 percent. German exports, such as garlands and other entertainment-related goods, also fell by almost 26 percent to € 33.2 million during the period under review. These data include the carnival season 2020, which, unlike this year, could to a large extent take place as usual, ie with carnivals, parties and processions. Until the crisis caused by the pandemic, foreign trade in carnival goods continued to rise. In 2019, the value of imports of such goods reached around € 102 million, two-thirds more than a decade earlier. This year, however, carnivals are not being held due to blockades and regulations on social distance throughout Germany, which has forced the closure of bars and the abolition of carnival processions. The German Institute of Economics, based in Cologne, estimates that the abolition of carnival entertainment in 2021 will cost the national economy around 1.5 billion euros. Restaurants, retailers, hotels and transport will suffer the biggest losses.