EXCLUSIVE I'm a city councillor and a nudist... people think it's strange but I don't see an issue - here's how I balance politics with running sex camps
Julien Ferrat, city councillor of Mannheim and representative of local political party 'Die Mannheime' told MailOnline he is planning to visit the French naturist village of Cap d'Agde in August.
'You have other politicians in Germany that are offering the trips to the Bundestag and to the European Parliament. So I thought, let's do something different,' he said.
According to the 33-year-old, 21 people have shown interest in his steamy initiative, including two with a political background.
But to prepare them for the eight-night trip to the swinger hotspot in southern France from August 2 to August 10, Ferrat is hosting a 'sex training camp' on a nudist beach in Mannheim later this month.
Here, he will coach the participants in how to have sex in front of others as well as the norms and procedures for attending a nudist beach.
'It will be a little bit like a Tantra session where the coach is explaining the stuff and also doing the stuff,' he said.
'So one part will be, for example, how to approach people in Cap d'Agde, so to know what are more or less the social norms there, but also to get used to the situation that you're having sex and others are watching you'.
Ferrat explained he has been in the nudist community for around 10 years and the swinger community for slightly less.
He has privately visited the French nudist camp twice and is now planning on merging his personal interest in the raunchy world of nudism and sexual partner swapping with his political background in a bid to turn Mannheim into Cap d'Agde's 'little sister'.
Ferrat is hoping that if he can turn his city into a version of Cap d'Agde which is just as recognised, those residing in the north of Germany or Scandinavia who may find it too far travelling to southern France can instead visit Mannheim and embark on the same experience.
'What I think is really interesting is to gain new earnings via niche tourism, because in Germany we have not enough money, and Cap d'Agde is, in my opinion, a good example to see how you can create new earnings by doing something unconventional, by being open-minded'.
Ferrat believes through this initiative, he can raise money for Mannheim without having to increase taxes for citizens.
During the trip, the city councillor is hoping to at least once a day speak with local business owners in Cap d'Agde and the tourist office to create business ties with the 'biggest nudist swinger resort worldwide'.
Ferrat explained: 'In Cap d'Agde, sex on the beach is taken literally. And anyone who's always wanted to shop naked in the supermarket can easily indulge that desire there.
'Having sex in your own bedroom is different than on the beach with a group of masturbating men like in Cap d'Agde.
'So it's, in my opinion, a good combination of on the one hand the occasion, but there's also a political activity included.
'The goal is to know more about niche tourism, because it's something special that a town with only 30,000 inhabitants can become a worldwide leader in that field.
'This is what is the interesting point. So of course, we are focusing on the nudist and swinger stuff. But also maybe we can take lessons about niche tourism in general,' Ferrat said.
Unsurprisingly, the councillor's proposal has been met with heavy opposition from fellow leaders, including the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), currently Germany's strongest political party.
District chairman, Christian Hötting, blasted Ferrat's 'harebrained' plan, while Ferrat fired back: 'As a friend of freedom of speech, I will always advocate for Mr. Hötting's right to express his opinion – even if I expressly disagree with it in this case.
'If Mr. Hötting would participate in the educational trip, perhaps some of his prejudices against nudists and swingers could be broken down.'
Regarding repeated objections from city council, he added: 'During the last budget discussions, I already proposed pushing forward something similar to promote niche tourism. Unsurprisingly, the proposal was rejected.'
'Many politicians offer educational trips to the Bundestag and the European Parliament. So I thought: Let's do something different.'
Despite the pushback, Ferrat's unconventional trip appears to have gained momentum.
By May 16, 75 people expressed interest in the visit to Cap d'Agde, with 22 people – including 14 men and eight women - confirming their place.
Six participants hail from Mannheim, three from the nearby Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and two from the nearby Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, while two other participants reside elsewhere in Germany.
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