"Germany's Hawaii" is located in the middle of the Baltic Sea. It has dreamy sand and natural beaches and most of all sun! 2200 hours of sun per year. The Baltic Island Fehmarn is regarded as the sunniest region in Germany: Nowhere else is nautical, Mediterranean panache - mixed with a dash of Danish architecture and way of life - all rolled into one.

Nature, sand, sun, water, culture and 'savoir vivre' set this 185 sq km island apart. 74 kilometres of beach to explore - where everyone finds their own bay or individual private spot. Fehmarn is also ahead when it comes to health matters: A mild Baltic climate, pleasant air and water temperatures, high-performance well-being centres and arguably Germany's most beautiful golf course distinguish this exclusive Baltic island in the northernmost German state.

But most significantly, Germany and Denmark have decided to build a fixed link over the Fehmarn Belt. It is one of Europe‘s biggest construction projects. On 29 June 2007 the Danish and German governments finally announced that agreement had been reached in relation to the construction of the crossing, and details of the agreement were set out in a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Under the terms of the MoU, construction works will begin by 2011 at the latest, and the crossing will open to traffic by 2018. It is intended that Denmark will, ultimately, become the sole owner of the bridge. Germany, for its part, has agreed to invest in the construction of the necessary road and rail links. Work should begin on the Fehmarn side in 2009. Once constructed, it will represent the final missing link connecting Scandinavia to mainland Europe.

Denmark has already built 2 bridges which have a relevance to this case, the Great Belt and the Öresund Bridge (between Denmark and Sweden). There have been several studies carried out in particular with regard to the Öresund Bridge to identify the socio-economic effects before and after build. Each of them share some features with the Fehmarn case and so it is with some accuracy that we can predict what will happen here. Undoubtedly it will provide opportunities and challenges on both sides. Of the opportunities the most promising will be:

• Construction, which will be boosted during the construction phase if the proper precautions are taken in time.
• Tourism, where the regions already have particular strengths and the fixed link will improve both market potential and competitiveness relative to other destinations.
• Export, especially from small and medium sized enterprises (SME) and of traditional goods is to be expected on existing and emerging markets when the infrastructure improvement reduces the costs of exporting.
• Medico-health cluster, where the fixed link will make it possible for Stortroms Amt (the Denmark region) and Kreis Ostholstein (the region which contains Fehmarn) to complement each other and thereby gain competitiveness in both regions.

Proponents of the project emphasise that, as a fixed link, the crossing will provide an uninterrupted, fast and safe transport corridor for both road and rail between the cities of Copenhagen and Hamburg. In particular, the travel time between the two cities will be reduced by an hour to a total of just three and a half hours. In total, 75 per cent of the entire railway traffic between Scandinavia and the rest of Europe is to be carried by the fixed Fehmarn Belt link.

Fehmarn is currently one of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany. It is difficult to get a late room in July or August. June and September are also very popular. 3 month occupancy is pessimistic for a good property, 6-8 months is possible for the more attractive properties. The yields we show are calculated on 3 months occupancy. Your property will be managed by our Fehmarn partner who already manage many short term and residential properties. They will oversee any necessary maintenance and larger works if necessary (for example kitchen/bathroom renovation or installation, roof space conversion, decoration, flooring etc). There is a significant shortage of residential property to rent in high season. Employment is roughly 90% in a popluation of approximately 13,000 of which 6,000 live in Burg. The working population will increase significantly when work starts on the Fehmarn bridge infrastructure. It will likely put increased pressure on an already stretched market, it is likely to increase residential rents, short term rents and the short to mid term letting season. It should also have a positive affect on property prices. Please contact us for an extensive report undertaken by the Danish government which objectively analyses the impact of the bridge.