For Dresden, Germany's baroque jewel of a city, last week's floods not only damaged cultural landmarks and threatened priceless works of art, they also endangered one of the city's lifelines: its tourism industry.

When the Elbe river jumped its banks, it swamped the city's historic old neighborhood and inflicted massive material and economic damage on the city's restaurant and hotel business, keeping visitors away in droves at the very high point of the tourist season.

Before the floods, Dresden ranked among one of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany. In 2001, some 1.15 million people stayed overnight in the city, according to the Dresden Tourist Promotion Board.

Its historic centre – with such baroque treasures as the Zwinger Palace, the Semper Opera House, and the Frauenkirche – had only recently been restored in the wake of the country's reunification. The majority of these sites are still under water.

Guests staying away

Numerous travel companies cancelled large contingents of booked rooms immediately after the high tide had reached Dresden. In total, bookings have declined by more than 10 percent, according to hotel manager Jana Otto. "All this is very bitter,” she told the wire service dpa. At present, the only remaining customer groups are insurance brokers and aid workers from other parts of the country.

“Because of the news coverage many tourists believe that the entire state of Saxony is under water,” complains Frank Lehmann, head of the German Hotels and Restaurants Association's regional branch.

Not only have reports of the devastating floods in Germany's east led to an unprecedented wave of booking reversals. It has put many jobs at risk, too, extending to suppliers and cleaning services.

Counter measures have now been taken to boost Dresden's attractiveness again. The Dresden Tourist Promotion Board, for instance, is planning on launching a concerted information campaign to attract visitors to the city. As early as the beginning of September, Dresden will re-emerge as a tourist mecca, according to the Board's managing director Yvonne Kubitza.

“Dresden as a city of art and culture is eager to regain its attraction as a favourite holiday destination as

quickly as possible,” says Kubitza. Most of the well-known sites are currently being repaired as quickly as possible.

From Monday, some sites of cultural import such as the Albertinum museum and the gallery of 19th century painting “Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister” will partly reopen. Other institutions, including the Dresden castle or the Museum of Arts and Crafts, will also be made accessible as soon as possible.

Post-flood sightseeing tours are scheduled for the coming weekend. Even the paddle steamers making their way up the Elbe river through Dresden will be back in business beginning September 1. Nobody should be afraid of being regarded as a "damage tourist", reassures local tourism manager Christine Ross.

“On the contrary: especially now we are happy about everyone who wants to come to the city,” she said.

To avoid further financial losses, tourism agencies strongly advise those interested in visiting Dresden to contact their travel companies or hotels before carrying out rash cancellations.

“If more tourists decided to keep clear of the place, the consequences would be disastrous,” says Frank Lehmann of the German Hotels and Restaurants Association.