With their beautiful natural landscapes, the sea resorts on the island of Rügen – e.g., Binz, Göhren, Saßnitz, and Sellin – were already popular during the Wilhelmine period, when steamship connections facilitated island visits. The island of Rügen was also a popular holiday destination during the GDR. The transformation of 1989/90 initially caused a drastic drop in tourism: whereas more than 915,000 people visited the island in 1989, only 586,000 travelled there in 1990. At the same time, the number of overnight stays dropped from 26 million to about 3 million. It was a matter of years before Rügen saw an increase in visitor numbers – but in 2002, the island was able to register no fewer than 4.8 million visitors and 19.8 million overnight stays. A new highway bridge opened in October 2007, further improving travel to Rügen.