Exciting presentations, lively discussions and a cozy get-together as part of the Sauerland Evening - this is what awaited the more than 150 participants from the catering and hotel industry as well as from the region's excursion destinations, sights and tourist information offices at the first edition of the Sauerland Future Forum at the Südwestfalen University of Applied Sciences in Meschede.
"The tourism industry is facing a fundamental upheaval that we can only overcome together with all stakeholders," emphasized Dr. Jürgen Fischbach, Managing Director of Sauerland Tourism, at the start of the event. "That's why we want to use the event to exchange ideas with you as important partners for tourism in the Sauerland, to discuss important issues for the future and to gain new impetus for our work."
There were plenty of opportunities for this in the ten workshop sessions, in which the active participation of the participants was explicitly requested. There were also critical discussions in the rounds, professional exchanges and views on topics such as sustainability, marketing, challenges of the future and digitalization. "The content and results will then be sent to all participants as minutes, but will also serve as an important support for us to align our work with the needs of the industry and to do even better justice to our role as a destination management organization," emphasized Jannik Müller, Deputy Managing Director of Sauerland Tourism.
An insight into the activities of the tourism association over the last two years was then provided during the final presentation on the realignment of marketing. And a lot has happened. Under the motto "Germany's inspiring outdoor region", the Sauerland wants to draw attention to itself in the future beyond the main regions in the Rhineland and Ruhrgebiet and thus attract new holidaymakers. The focus is particularly on aspects such as nature, experience and adventure, which are intended to encourage day trips or even stays of several days in the Sauerland through theme-specific labels and a target group-oriented visual language and text content.
The concluding Sauerland evening in a cozy atmosphere, supported by the Veltins brewery, gave all participants the opportunity to deepen their discussions, exchange ideas and bring the day to a close.
Contact for the press:
Rouven Soyka, Sauerland-Tourismus e. V.
Johannes-Hummel-Weg 1, 57392 Schmallenberg
Tel.: 02974-969830, e-mail: presse@sauerland.com
Teilnehmer des Sauerland-Zukunftsforums nutzen die Veranstaltung zum intensiven Austausch.
Foto: Sauerland-Tourismus e.V. / Bladevision Filmproduktion
