Triberg: Germany’s highest waterfalls (163 m over 7 steps) – Image: GNTB/Francesco Carovillano
The German National Tourism Board’s (GNTB) Sustainable Tourism Day will take place for the third time in Frankfurt am Main on 25 September 2024. At the invitation of the German National Tourist Board, experts from politics, science and practice will discuss new strategies, solutions and best practices on how tourism in Germany can be made even more sustainable at the Mövenpick Hotel Frankfurt City.
The 3rd GNTB Sustainable Tourism Day will be opened by Dieter Janecek MdB, Federal Government Coordinator for Tourism. Szymon Oscislowski, Deputy Head of Unit Maritime Transport & Logistics of the European Commission, will present an update on “Count Emissions EU” and Randy Durban, CEO of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), will talk about certification as an important tool for sustainable tourism.
Dirk Rogl will report on new initiatives of the Competence Centre for the Green Transformation of Tourism on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, and Sven Liebert will provide an update on the work of the German Climate Fund for Tourism, an initiative of the German Tourism Industry Association and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. During the event, representatives of destinations and experts will discuss measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strategies for adapting to the consequences of climate change. Experts from the GNTB and its network will also present best practices from their operational work.
Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the GNTB, explains: “Sustainability is and will remain a key area of action if we, as Destination Germany, want to continue to participate in global economic value creation and tourism’s contribution to cultural encounters and international understanding in the future. With our Sustainable Tourism Dashboard, the GNTB has been making a significant contribution to the current debate on relevant KPIs for measuring sustainable travel and sustainable destinations for inbound tourism since last year. With the new dashboard, we are explicitly monitoring CO2/CO2e-relevant KPIs for foreign guests travelling to Germany. In the context of the overarching regulatory framework, in particular the European Green Deal and the EU Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), measurement points and guidelines ranging from environmental protection to accessibility are important for our future actions.”
Germany: Young couple riding in ICE-Train – Image: GNTB/Jens Wegener
Members and sponsors of the German National Tourist Board, as well as other stakeholders in the German travel sector, can now register for the 3rd GNTB Sustainable Tourism Day. Registration and further information on the event can be found at www.germany.travel/std.
About the GNTB
The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) works on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action to represent Germany as a tourist destination and is funded by the Ministry in accordance with a decision taken by the German Bundestag. Working closely with the German travel industry and private-sector partners and trade associations, the GNTB develops strategies and marketing campaigns to promote Germany’s positive image abroad as a travel destination and to encourage tourists to visit the country.
Focus on sustainability and digitalisation
The GNTB promotes forward-looking tourism in line with the objectives of the German government. The focus here is on sustainability and digitalisation.
To make inbound tourism more sustainable and competitive, our organisation follows a three-pillar strategy that combines the sharing of knowledge with external partners and a supporting communications strategy with our internal sustainability initiative. The GNTB positions Germany as a sustainable and inclusive destination in the international travel market.
The GNTB is a pioneer when it comes to using immersive technologies (virtual, augmented and mixed reality), voice assistants and other conversational interfaces, and artificial intelligence applications such as chatbots. To ensure that tourism offerings are visible on AI-based marketing platforms, the GNTB coordinates the German tourism industry’s open-data/knowledge graph project.
The GNTB has 25 foreign agencies that it manages from its head office in Frankfurt. (NN/GNTB – 22-08-24)
