German National Tourist Board has joined as a Member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
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. 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, the organisation follows a three-pillar strategy that combines the sharing of knowledge with external partners and a supporting communications strategy with its 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.
Sustainability in Germany
GNTB has been working internationally to promote Germany as a travel destination for more than 70 years. They encourage visitors to embrace sustainability while they visit Germany by developing new offerings for sustainable vacation experiences on their website; and incorporated in the site a CO2 calculator to determine the CO2 emissions of visitors journey by air or car and offset them by supporting certified carbon offset programs worldwide.
The first National Sustainable Development Strategy was adopted by the German Government in 2002 and decided to make it a key framework for achieving the SDGs in Germany.
Concerning energy production and climate protection, the Sustainable Development Strategy, which was further refined in 2021, promotes more rapid implementation of the 13th Global Sustainability Goal («Climate Protection Measures»). The Federal Government passed a Climate Protection Act to this end in 2019, which was amended in 2021: according to it, Germany is to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. Steadily decreasing emission levels have already been specified for this purpose.
View here the German Sustainable Development Strategy 2021 update.
Petra Hedorfer, Chairwoman of the GNTB Board of Directors, explains: “As a travel destination in Germany, we have already developed a strong, sustainable image in recent years. According to the DZT Travel Industry Expert Panel for the 4th quarter of 2023, 79 percent of CEOs and key accounts in the international travel industry perceive Germany as a sustainable destination, and 62 percent consciously market travel offers to Germany with this aspect in mind. The GNTB’s membership in the GSTC opens up further perspectives: This allows us to network the experiences of other GSTC members and our own expertise and present sustainable tourism offers from Germany on the international stage. We in turn share insights and knowledge from participation in the GSTC programs with our partners in German tourism in order to strengthen our positioning as a sustainable tourism destination.”
GSTC Welcomes the German National Tourist Board
«We extend a warm welcome to the German National Tourist Board as a new member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. At GSTC we believe each of our members can become a driving force in advancing sustainable travel and tourism. We look forward to working with the German National Tourist Board to advance sustainable tourism practices in Germany,» says Randy Durband, CEO of GSTC.
GSTC encourages destinations pursuing sustainability practices in tourism development and management to join as GSTC members and apply the GSTC Destination Criteria, which eventually can help achieve certification by a GSTC-Accredited Certification Body.
About the German National Tourist Board
The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is the central organization for marketing Germany as a travel destination. It communicates the diverse appeal of the country to a worldwide market, thereby promoting a strong and attractive brand – ‘Destination Germany’.
More information here: https://www.germany.travel/en/about-us/about-us.html
About the GSTC
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are two sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, and Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators. These are the guiding principles and minimum requirements that any tourism business or destination should aspire to reach in order to protect and sustain the world’s natural and cultural resources while ensuring tourism meets its potential as a tool for conservation and poverty alleviation.
The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for GSTC’s assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services, but provides accreditation to those that do. The GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism.
Information for media and the press: www.gstcouncil.org/about/for-the-press/
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Statements expressed in this announcement are presented for informational purposes only and should not be taken as an endorsement or recommendation by GSTC, unless clearly stated.
[Photo 1 – Credit: GNTB/Jens Wegener / Photo 2 – Credit: GNTB/Florian Trykowski]
