Press release: Perspectives for more sustainable tourism at the 3rd GNTB Sustainable Tourism Day

Frankfurt am Main, 31 July 2024 – The 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 Annegret Zimmermann 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/CO_2e-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."

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. Participation in the event is subject to a fee. Registration and further information on the event can be found at www.germany.travel/std.