German National Tourist Board: Credibly Positioning Germany as a Sustainable Destination

The GNTB acts as a role model in the international tourism market and offers seminars and conferences with a focus on sustainability. At the company itself based in Germany, employees receive ongoing training and sustainability is immersed in every process and company decision. One example, the yearly Germany TravelMart (GTM) event aims to be extraordinarily sustainable and sets up key guidelines for the participants and for the host. For the GNTB and its partners, sustainability is a key element in organizing the GTM where the travel market follows sustainable guidelines such as vegan catering, paperless events and upcycled give aways.

Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB said “To credibly position Germany as a sustainable destination in the international market, we need to be as green as we can in our own day-to-day operations. That is why we have made the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDG) the guiding principles for the work of our entire organisation. In 2023, we also began to implement the EMAS Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. This premium environmental management tool, created by the European Commission, helps us to assess, report on and continuously improve our environmental performance. The information flows directly into the knowledge shared with the international travel industry and our partners in Germany’s inbound tourism industry, as well as into our international marketing activities.”