Sauerland Tourism was able to look back on a successful year at its members' meeting on Thursday, October 26 at the SASE in Iserlohn. A further increase in the number of guests and overnight stays is cause for celebration and testifies to the high popularity of "Germany's inspiring outdoor region" among day trippers and holidaymakers.
There has been a change in the position of 1st Chairman, which will in future be held by Philipp Scharfenbaum, District Director of the Olpe district. He will take over the position for the next two years from Frank Linnekugel, Head of Department 01 (Regional Development) at Hochsauerlandkreis and Managing Director of Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Hochsauerlandkreis, who will now act as deputy. The rotational change at the top of the tourism association between the district of Olpe and the Hochsauerlandkreis is a tried and tested tradition. "I am delighted to be able to take on even more responsibility for the development of local tourism in my new role," emphasized Scharfenbaum in his inaugural speech. "Together with the many stakeholders, the aim is to further develop the Sauerland tourism location as the destination with the highest number of overnight stays in North Rhine-Westphalia through targeted projects and thus meet the challenges of the future with concentrated strength."
New focal pointsand strategic objectives
The review of the tourism year to date and the outlook for the coming months were also positive. "Tourism in the Sauerland has once again shown what it is capable of this year and I would like to thank all partners once again for their excellent work," said Dr. Jürgen Fischbach, Managing Director of Sauerland Tourism, giving an insight into the current activities of the tourism association. While last year was still dominated by the implementation of the state-wide REACT-EU funding program, this year the focus was once again entirely on the usual marketing measures to inspire day trippers and holidaymakers with emotional and inspiring content for a stay in the Sauerland. In addition to this, the tourism association is working on a new concept for internal communication in order to involve the many partners in the industry even more closely in joint activities, exchange ideas and pass on information. "A strong tourism network is the basis for successful marketing and makes a significant contribution to building a region's image," emphasized Fischbach. "Our aim must be to provide all players in the industry with relevant information and news as part of our internal communication."
Highimportance of sustainability and culture for tourism
Another important component of the future focus will be the aspect of sustainability. Together with the Siegen-Wittgenstein Tourism Association, the tourism association is in the middle of the certification process in order to be able to advertise with the coveted TourCert "Sustainable Destinations" seal in the future. "Sauerland and sustainability - that fits," says the new 1st Chairman Philipp Scharfenbaum confidently. "For us, it is important that ecological as well as economic and social aspects are taken into account and that we take a holistic approach to the topic of sustainability." Barbara Dienstel-Kümper, District Director of the Märkischer Kreis, set another focus in her presentation on the importance of culture for tourism in the Sauerland. The region boasts a broad portfolio of cultural and historical attractions such as Burg Altena, the Luisenhütte in Balve-Wocklum and the Sauerland Museum in Arnsberg. "In addition to focusing on the region's natural highlights, our goal must be to put the many cultural highlights that attract countless visitors to the Sauerland year after year even more in the tourist spotlight," says Dienstel-Kümper.
Guest numbers in theregion are steadily normalizing
A look at guest arrivals and overnight stays in the first eight months of 2023 is also positive. With 1,686,239 guest arrivals (growth of 9.7% compared to 2022) and 5,285,340 overnight stays (growth of 7.3% compared to 2022) in the period from January to August, "Germany's inspiring outdoor region" is once again well above the same period last year, even if the pre-corona level has not yet been fully reached. The generally positive development in the Sauerland is also reflected in the number of foreign guests and their overnight stays. While 271,795 guests from abroad represent a whopping 24.4 percent increase in arrivals compared to the same period last year, the number of overnight stays by foreign guests amounted to 954,497. This corresponds to an increase of 26.2 percent compared to the same period last year. The underlying figures relate to the entire tourist region, including the Sauerland tourist resorts located in Hessen.
Contact for the press:
Rouven Soyka, Sauerland-Tourismus e. V.
Johannes-Hummel-Weg 1, 57392 Schmallenberg
Tel.: 02974-969830, e-mail: presse@sauerland.com
Der neue 1. Vorsitzende Philipp Scharfenbaum (3.v.l.) freut sich gemeinsam mit den Vorstandsmitgliedern Frank Linnekugel (1.v.l), Barbara Dienstel-Kümper (2.v.l.) und Dr. Jürgen Wutschka (4.v.l.) sowie dem Geschäftsführer des Sauerland-Tourismus, Dr. Jürgen Fischbach (2.v.r.) und seinem Stellvertreter Jannik Müller (1.v.r.) über die gelungene Mitgliederversammlung.
Foto: Sauerland-Tourismus e.V. / Rouven Soyka