Berlin, September 18, 2024 – The German Climate Fund Tourism (DKT) is continuing its work on a national greenhouse gas inventory for the tourism industry. In addition to the island of Borkum, the DKT has now selected four further pilot destinations: Bremerhaven, the Duchy of Lauenburg, the Kinzig Valley in the Black Forest and the North Eifel.

Positioning the German tourism industry as a pioneer in climate protection: This is the goal that the German Climate Fund Tourism (DKT) is pursuing in five pilot regions with its greenhouse gas inventory. The pilot regions were selected strategically in order to cover a broad spectrum of different forms of tourism in different parts of Germany. "Borkum stands for island tourism and the special challenges that come with protecting the UNESCO Wadden Sea World Heritage Site," says Göran Sell of Nordseeheilbad Borkum GmbH. As the first pilot destination, Borkum is delighted to have the opportunity to live up to its special responsibility for climate protection. Bremerhaven, on the other hand, is a "lively port city that impresses with its unique maritime experiences and rich cultural diversity." This is emphasized by Franziska Stenzel, Sustainability Manager for Tourism at Erlebnis Bremerhaven GmbH. The Duchy of Lauenburg is ideal for holidays in small, historic towns “with their rich history and idyllic landscapes,” as Günter Schmidt, Managing Director of Herzogtum Lauenburg Marketing & Service GmbH, explains.
And last but not least, the pilot destinations Kinzigtal and North Eifel differ significantly in their landscapes and cultural contexts. According to Isabella Schmider, Managing Director of Schwarzwald Tourismus Kinzigtal eV, the destination she manages is characterized by its typical Black Forest landscape with rolling hills, dense forests and historic half-timbered towns. Cultural customs such as traditional costumes and Black Forest cuisine play a special role. Both the Kinzigtal and the North Eifel represent hiking and cycling tourism for nature lovers. The landscape of the North Eifel is the "home of the Eifel National Park with a landscape characterized by low mountain ranges and the Börde. [...] We must deal with these conditions responsibly and carefully," says Patrick Schmidder, Managing Director and Sustainability Officer of Nordeifel Tourismus GmbH. Together with Managing Director Iris Poth, he is very much looking forward to the upcoming project and is already excited about the results.
The DKT project manager, Annegret Zimmermann, expects the emissions calculations to provide insights that will benefit the entire industry: "With this selection, we reflect some of the diversity of German tourism. We are looking forward to exciting insights into the emissions structures of very different types of destinations."
The greenhouse gas calculation process "The greenhouse gas calculations in the pilot destinations are crucial for testing and finalizing our calculation methodology. We can also learn a lot from the companies' feedback on our data collection in order to be able to optimize the data collection processes in the future," explains Helga Weisz from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. This data can be collected using the energy consumption data of the tourism companies. Participation is free for the companies.
Franziska Stenzel from Erlebnis Bremerhaven GmbH sees the advantages of the initiative: "This enables us to systematically record our greenhouse gas emissions and develop concrete climate protection measures. Bremerhaven is proud to have been selected as a pilot destination for the greenhouse gas calculation." The Kinzig Valley is also very pleased about being selected as a pilot destination by the German Climate Fund for Tourism. By collecting the data, a picture of the tourism carbon footprint in the
Kinzigtal, as Isabella Schmider from Schwarzwald Tourismus Kinzigtal eV emphasizes. Günter Schmidt from Herzogtum Lauenburg Marketing & Service GmbH sees things similarly, and very much welcomes the fact that efforts in the area of ​​sustainable tourism are being made on
reliable data and a scientific foundation. He is very pleased that the Duchy of Lauenburg can do this together with such well-known institutes as the DKT and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
Once the emissions calculations have been completed, the German Climate Fund for Tourism will provide an overview of the amount of emissions generated in the respective operational areas. In the future, companies will be able to receive organizational and financial support from the DKT in developing effective climate protection measures. The knowledge gained should be transferable to other destinations in the future and thus make an important contribution to climate protection in German tourism.

Press contact:
Julia Martin, Climate Communication in Tourism Officer at DKT
martin@klimafonds-tourismus.de, Phone: +49 (0) 151 44930184
Note for the editors:
Photos for download at: https://deutscher-klimafonds-tourismus.de/pressebereich/