When one of the biggest tourism events of the decade happens in the midst of the biggest economic downturn in a generation, unusual things happen. For groups interested in attending the Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany next year, it means a wealth of different travel options, as well as unprecedented price points and payment policies.
You’ve probably heard the word Oberammergau a lot lately. Every 10 years, as fulfillment of a vow made by their ancestors hundreds of years ago, residents of the small Bavarian village come together to produce a performance of Christ’s Passion.
“They vowed that if God spared them from the effects of the plague, they would put on a play every 10 years depicting the death and resurrection of Jesus,” said Ricarda Lindner, regional manager for the Americas at the German National Tourist Office. “The first one was in 1634. 2010 marks the 41st performance. It has become one of the biggest tourism events in the world.”
It’s also one of the biggest theatrical productions in the world. Today, the cast and crew comprise some 2,000 people, all local amateurs who donate their time for the performances.
“In order to participate, you have to have been born in Oberammergau or have lived there for 20 years,” Lindner said.
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| In 2010, Oberammergau’s five-hour performance of the Passion Play will take place at night, allowing the crew to employ dramatic lighting during key scenes. Courtesy Oberammergau Passion Play |
The locals pay a lot of attention to tradition and detail. The wardrobe department creates hundreds of period-accurate costumes for the Passion play, and men appearing on stage are forbidden to shave their beards after Easter of the year before the play. Although Americans make up much of the audience, the Oberammergau Passion Play is still performed in German, as it has been for hundreds of years.
A different environment
During the late 20th century, Oberammergau’s Passion play became so well known that during the 2000 performance year, Germany saw its highest levels of international tourism ever. During the season running from mid-May to early October, the village of about 5,300 inhabitants welcomed well over 400,000 visitors.
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Bavaria, the Alps and Eastern Europe will benefit from Oberammergau Most travelers who make the trip to Germany for the Oberammergau Passion Play are making the most of the opportunity to tour throughout Europe as well. Tour operators are packaging Oberammergau performances with tours covering various parts of the continent. Germany and Bavaria — Oberammergau is in Bavaria, one of the most scenic and historic parts of Germany. With a few days to spend in the area, travelers should make sure to see the dramatic Neuschwanstein castle. Religious visitors will enjoy the small pilgrimage town of Altoetting. Beer aficionados may want to plan to visit in September, when Munich will celebrate 200 years of Oktoberfest. The Alps — Tour operators are offering dozens of packages that tour the Alpine areas of Switzerland, Austria and Italy, all of which are conveniently near Bavaria. Highlights include visits to historic Innsbruck in Austria, picturesque Lucerne in Switzerland and the great Catholic sites throughout Italy.
By Brian Jewell
Many Oberammergau packages for next year will include visits to Lucerne, a beautiful lakeside city in the Swiss Alps. East or West — Oberammergau visitors who have toured the Alps before may want to visit destinations farther east or west in Europe. Collette Vacations is offering a tour that begins in Paris and includes a Passion play performance. A tour that includes visits to Budapest and Prague is one of Globus’ most popular Oberammergau options this year. |
When the village committee began planning for 2010 several years ago, they scheduled 102 performances in the 4,700-seat theater and released ticket packages to tour operat
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| Courtesy Oberammergau Passion Play |
ors with fairly stringent sales requirements. Tour operators, also expecting a large turnout, set their price points higher to meet the expected demand.
“In 2000, it was so successful that there were people actually selling counterfeit tickets and trying to make a profit from them,” said Mike Schields, manager of group sales and emerging markets for the Globus Family of Brands. “When we launched our Oberammergau products for 2010, it was prior to the economic collapse, and the dollar was very low against the Euro. So demand dropped.”
Throughout late 2008 and much of this year, tour operators have seen their inventory of Oberammergau tickets moving more slowly than they expected.
“It’s been different than what we’ve seen in the past,” said David Costabile, associate director of international product at Collette Vacations. “Usually by this point, people have sold out of their tickets. With the economy, that’s shifted the plan for everyone, so we’ve been working hard at getting the word out there to promote.”
Realigning strategies
As a result, the Oberammergau organizers and tour operators have re-examined their approaches and changed some policies to attract travelers for 2010.
“Ticket sales have certainly been slower this year than they were in 1999,” Lindner said. “However, they’ve introduced a number of releases for tour operators, and we’ve learned from our tour operators that sales have started picking up. We’re aware that there’s a big trend toward short-term bookings now.”
The Globus companies have made a number of changes to their strategy to adjust for consumer response.
“We had to look at the market conditions, make it easier for people and relax some of those deposit policies,” Schields said. “And there were some pricing adjustments when the dollar rose against the euro. So we almost had to relaunch the product when there was a glimmer of hope with the economy. Now there’s a new group of people willing to commit to the program.”
German officials and tour operators are optimistic that all of the performances will eventually sell out, albeit later than in previous years. And though softer demand has given consumers more time than normal to decide, Costabile recommends that groups with an interest in the Passion play go ahead and make their arrangements soon.
“Every day you wait is going to make it more difficult to find the dates you want to go for a group,” he said. “People who have been waiting to make up their minds might not get the exact dates they wanted to travel, because motorcoaches are filling up. Tickets are limited, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.”
