How can sustainable mobility in tourism be implemented in practice in North Rhine-Westphalia? This was the question addressed at the event “Future Workshop on Sustainable Mobility in Tourism” held on the campus of the Media University of Applied Sciences in Cologne. Co-funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the project was implemented as part of a university partnership between Tourismus NRW e.V. and the Media University. The conference took place on the campus of the Media University in Cologne.
Sustainable tourism presents one of the greatest challenges, particularly in terms of travel to and from destinations and local mobility. Innovative and climate-friendly solutions are particularly needed in rural destinations in North Rhine-Westphalia, such as the Eifel or the Sauerland. The Future Workshop brought together experts from the fields of tourism, mobility and research to jointly develop practical solutions and strengthen the exchange between academia and the industry.
The event focused on the results of a collaboration between the Media University of Applied Sciences (Department of Psychology) and Tourismus NRW e. V.. The project was co-funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim was to develop concrete ideas for sustainable tourism development in North Rhine-Westphalia and to create solutions that can be used in the long term.
The project employed several approaches:
– A comprehensive analysis of best practices in sustainable mobility solutions for tourism
– The development of a knowledge database as the basis for a tourism-related chatbot
– the development of recommendations for action based on interviews with local stakeholders
– the design and implementation of the Future Workshop as an interactive networking format for stakeholders in the tourism industry
These findings provide a solid foundation for the digital transformation and sustainable development of tourism offerings.
The content of the Future Workshop was developed in close collaboration with psychology professors Christian Hoffmann and Harald Kolrep-Rometsch, as well as other project participants. At the Media University’s Cologne Campus, this resulted in an interactive format specifically geared towards knowledge transfer, networking and innovation, set within one of Germany’s most important media and economic regions.
The event attracted considerable interest from representatives of the tourism industry in North Rhine-Westphalia and was very well received by participants. The Future Workshop demonstrates how applied research at the Media University in Cologne can make a tangible contribution to addressing current societal challenges – particularly in the areas of sustainable mobility and tourism development.
