"Rethink Tourism" - Berlin on World Tourism Day

Berlin, September 26, 2022 Tomorrow's World Tourism Day of the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations) this year has the motto "Rethink Tourism". Under this motto, special attention will be paid to ecological and social sustainability in the tourism of the future.

Berlin on the way to becoming one of Europe's most sustainable destinations

Berlin is already one of the greenest capitals in Europe, with over 100 nature reserves and landscaped areas and more than 2,500 public green spaces. Over the next five years, the city is also set to become one of the continent's most sustainable destinations. To this end, Berlin has joined, among others, the international sustainability council "Global Sustainable Tourism Council" (GSTC), which develops guidelines for sustainable tourism and sustainable travel worldwide. Internationally, Berlin stands up to comparison and was already able to take fifth place among metropolises in the Global Destination Sustainability Index ranking last fall - the 2022 ranking is expected in a month's time.

Study shows trend toward more sustainable Berlin travel

The latest edition of the Quality Monitor, which visitBerlin uses every two years to examine the travel behavior of Berlin's visitors, shows: Sustainable travel is playing an increasingly important role. For example, the duration of visits is becoming significantly longer. In 2019, 23 percent of guests stayed in the city for between four and seven nights. In 2022, this figure is 40 percent. The average length of stay increased from 2.4 to 2.6 days. Rail is becoming more important as a mode of transportation (+17%), while air travel is used much less frequently than in 2019 (-28%).

City sets incentives for the tourism and convention industry

Berlin is taking numerous steps to implement the "Rethink" impulse toward sustainable tourism. Among the measures is, for example, the Berlin Congress Fund, which has been extended again until the end of the year. Events that meet certain sustainability criteria (for catering or transportation, for example) receive special funding. This increases motivation to include the sustainability aspect from the outset when organizing events.

visitBerlin is committed to sustainable tourism development

For years, visitBerlin has supported the development of Berlin into a particularly sustainable destination with numerous projects and has raised awareness of the topic among visitors from all over the world. Travelers can already find comprehensive information on sustainable excursion destinations, hotels, culinary hotspots including outstanding restaurants with the green Michelin star and sustainable shopping at visitBerlin.de. And as a company, visitBerlin also takes responsibility and pursues a sustainability strategy. To get visitors interested in Berlin and encourage them to travel responsibly, visitBerlin launched a "fairreisen" campaign this summer with the slogan "Holidays for Future. Plan your more sustainable Berlin trip with us". This provided practical tips for a more sustainable Berlin vacation.

Close networking with regional, national and international partners

visitBerlin is a member of the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDSM). Its goal is to position Berlin as an innovative and sustainable destination. Sustainable travel does not work with isolated solutions. In Berlin, visitBerlin is bringing together the ever-growing community of stakeholders and at the same time is in close exchange with national and international partners. On September 27, representatives of all state marketing organizations will meet in Frankfurt/Main. And on September 28, Sabine Wendt, COO and Head of Destination Management & Corporate Development at visitBerlin, will speak at the Sustainable Tourism Day of the German National Tourist Board (DZT) about Berlin's path to a particularly sustainable visitor economy.

Networking and support for the event and tourism industry

With the Sustainable Meetings Berlin initiative, the Berlin Convention Office offers companies from the event and convention industry free certification as a Sustainable Partner - a distinction that will become even more important in the future. In the innovative meeting format Meet+Change, events take place in social and cultural institutions, from a children's home to a workshop to an intercultural center. This provides a new, inspiring environment for meetings and at the same time gives the facilities more visibility and additional revenue. On the e-learning platform TourismusHub, visitBerlin connects interested actors from Berlin's tourism and event industry and offers workshops on sustainability in travel and events.