SRH University

International conference on sustainable urban transport in cities with tourist destinations

05 - 06 June 2025 (World Environment Day) Enhancing Sustainability in Local Travel and Tourism

Greeting from Franziska Giffey

 

"Tourism is a powerful economic driver for our city. At the same time, it challenges us to reconcile growth with quality of life and sustainability. Urban areas in particular need viable solutions that meet the needs of both the population and visitors. Mobility plays a key role in this context: sustainable and well-connected transport systems create local acceptance and invite visitors to explore new, climate-friendly modes of mobility – experiences that can inspire change in their home regions as well. This conference promotes the exchange of expertise and best practices, sending a strong signal for the integration of sustainable mobility and tourism development. In doing so, it provides valuable impulses for livable, future-ready cities – in Berlin and around the world."

Franziska Giffey is Berlin's Mayor, Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises

The Conference Programme

5 June

NECTAR-Workshop

10:00 am - 17:30 pm

Raum: SHED A5.07

Tickets NECTAR-Workshop

10:00 am - 12:30 pm

  1. Luca Zamparini (University of Salento, Italy): Sustainable Local Transport in Tourism Destinations
  2. Werner Gronau (Hochschule Stralsund, Germany): Digital “guest-tickets” and their role in tourism
  3. Stefano Scagnolari (Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland): Examining the Attitude-Behaviour Gap in Mobility Choices for Tourism
  4. Concepción Román/Juan Carlos Martín (Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain): Is the importance given to the environmental impact generated by tourist mobility decisions affected by latent attitudes towards the environment?

14:00 pm - 15:30 pm

  1. Francesco Bruzzone (Iuav University of Venice, Italy): Understanding regional and seasonal mobility with Cell Phone Big Data
  2. Mariangela Scorrano (University of Trieste, Italy): Leveraging MaaS and Service Design for Sustainable Mobility in Tourist Areas
  3. Frank Wolter (SRH Berlin, Germany): Feasibility of Battery-Electric Boats for Commuter and Tourist Transport

16:00 pm - 17:30 pm

  1. Aaron Gutiérrez (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain): Tourists Walking Throughout the City: How Long and Why? Evidence from Barcelona
  2. Alessia Tagliabue (University of Insubria, Italy): Cycling tourism and e-bikes: a game changer?
  3. Daniele Crotti (University of Insubria, Italy): Slow Travels and Biking to the Lake: The Moderation Role of Cycling Tourism Attributes
5 June

Workshop Mittelstandszentrum Digital Tourismus

ONLY GERMAN
14:00 pm - 17:45 pm

Raum: SHED A5.06

Tickets MDT-Workshop

14:00 pm - 15:30 pm

Impulses and Discussion: Dialogue between Science and Business

Speakers:

  • Carolin Altena & Wolfgang Inninger (Fraunhofer IML) Topic: Intermodal Travel Chains – Current Status
  • Andreas Knie (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung, WZB) Topic: Autonom, Smart, Seamless - Mobility for Tomorrow's Tourists
  • Norman Volkmann (Berlin Tourismus und Kongress GmbH, visitBerlin) Topic: Explorative Analysis of Mobile Data in Urban Areas

Discussion Panel

Participants:

  • Clemens Rath (Call a Bike)
  • Andreas Knie (WZB)
  • Wolfgang Inninger (Fraunhofer IML)
  • Werner Gronau (Hochschule Stralsund)
  • Susanna Bernschein (Visit Berlin)

Moderation: Ines Carstensen, SRH

16:00 pm - 18:00 pm

Objective: Explore and transform typical activity spaces into experiential spaces for guests, utilizing digital tools.

Agenda:

  1. Introduction and expectations
  2. Presentation of activity spaces and experience elements
  3. Group work on innovative combinations and audience targeting
  4. Ideas for digital solution integration
  5. Conclusion

Workshop Leader:

  • Prof. Dr. Ines Carstensen (SRH- Heidelberg University)
  • Prof. Dr. Werner Gronau (Hochschule Stralsund)

16:00 pm - 18:00 pm

Objective: Enhance understanding and optimization of intermodal travel chains for improved travel experiences.

Agenda:

  1. Introduction and expectations
  2. Presentation of personas and travel chains
  3. Group work using empathy and stakeholder mapping
  4. Ideas for product development and further research
  5. Conclusion

Workshop Leader:

  • Carolin Altena (Fraunhofer IML)
  • Wolfgang Inninger (Fraunhofer IML)

Further background and details: https://digitalzentrum-tourismus.de/events/dialog-workshop-freizeitmobilitaet/

5 June

Networking Event on Boat

19:00 pm - 22:30 pm

More information about the networking event

Event to get in touch with experts from science, politics and practice on board a riverboat.

Tickets Networking-Event
6 June

Panel Day

08:30 am - 15:00 pm

CUBE

Tickets Podiumstag

09:00 am - 09:30 am

  • Welcome adresses by Victoria Büsch, President of SRH University
  • Keynote on the sustainable transformation of tourism in Berlin, Franziska Giffey, Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises, and Mayor of Berlin

09:30 am - 10:30 am

Panelists:

  • Andreas Behrens, Chief Executive Officer, Stern und Kreisschifffahrt GmbH, Berlin (video message)
  • Volker Marhold, Chief Executive Officer, Dahmen & Marhold GbR, Berlin
  • Luise Ahrens, Chief Executive Officer, Solarwaterworld AG, Berlin (tbc)
  • Volker Schlickum, Senate Department for Environment, Transport, and Climate, Berlin
  • Brigitte Juncker, Global Business Development and Government Relations, Candela Electric Hydrofoil Boats, Sweden 

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Panelists:

  • Susanna Bernschein, Head of Destination Development VisitBerlin, Berlin, Germany
  • Maxim Streletzki, Owner-Operator, Estrel Hotel, Berlin
  • Adam Engel, Head of Greater Copenhagen, Civic Engagement and Culture, Wonderful Copenhagen, Denmark (in person, confirmed)
  • Andreas Boos, Co-Founder, Naturtrip
  • Jorn van der Egg, Community Manager, Spotted by locals, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (virtual participation)
  • Christopher Greenwood, Senior Research Fellow of the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development, Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland

12:00 am - 13:00 pm

Panelists:

  • Axel Mißner, Managing Director, Berlin, BCT Berlin City Tour GmbH (“City Sightseeing Berlin”)
  • Benedict Nell, Senior Sales & Business Development Manager, ioki GmbH
  • Eike Lütjen, Country Manager for Germany, Voi Technology (Sweden) Germany GmbH (Micro-Mobility)
  • Clemens Rath, Product development and management, Bike Sharing at DB Connect, Deutsche Bahn AG

13:00 pm - 13:30 pm

From 15:00 pm

Infos on the tours.

Background of the Conference

Tourism can bring new economic prospects and business and employment opportunities. However, (over)tourism may also have some negative impacts such as congestion, price increases, loss of local cultural authenticity, environmental impacts, or deteriorating local air quality. In order to protect the attractiveness of tourist destinations and ensure positive experiences for both residents and visitors, it is essential to implement policies and projects that enhance economic, social, and environmental sustainability in transport and tourism. The conference discusses various trends and issues and provides a forum to explore proven and new technologies, digital solutions, and policy options for enhancing sustainable local mobility in tourism. The conference's core goal is to deepen the cooperation between researchers and practitioners. Regional and national tourism companies are invited to reflect on the topics, scientific findings, and international examples, develop solutions together with science, and apply suitable approaches to practice.

The conference will be focus on the following topics:

  • Decision-making in tourism and transportation policies in private and public sectors
  • Strategies and regulations aimed at increasing sustainability in local transport
  • Opportunities for cooperation and partnerships between public and private sectors
  • The significance of walking, cycling, and local public transport in sustainable tourism
  • Electric mobility and new transportation options
  • Innovative solutions in waterborne transport for tourism and local commuters

The International Conference on Sustainable Local Transport in Tourist Destination Cities provides a platform for local and international exchanges of information and experiences. The envisioned expert dialogue focuses on sustainable mobility and invites the participation of all concerned stakeholders, including transport and tourism researchers, social scientists, tourism business representatives, technical and IT solution providers, concerned local and state public sectors, and representatives of municipalities, business associations, and non-governmental organizations. 

Berlin aims to advance sustainability in its tourism economy. The German capital is one of the most successful destinations in international city tourism, offering a solid and innovative public transport system, various car-sharing and micro-mobility options, and specific tourist mobility offers on land and water. 

Visit Berlin and Berlin Partner are cooperating partners of the conference. Visit Berlin is responsible for promoting Berlin as a top travel destination and managing tourism and convention marketing. Berlin Partner focuses on economic growth, supporting businesses, and fostering regional innovation. As a host, Berlin provides positive examples. The partners are further interested in networking with the stakeholders to reflect on international case studies and scientific findings. The Conference Organizers are exploring opportunitities to arrange a social networking event in the form of a joint evening river cruise on a boat.

The Conference provides a platform for exchanging experiences and collaborating with national and international scientific partners and organizations. It seeks to facilitate information exchanges among practitioners. Against this background, global networks such as the International Workshop of the Network on European Communications and Transport Activity Research (NECTAR), the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin), the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft with the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics, and the SRH University are scientific partners of this congress. They participate in Panel Discussions, moderate presentations, and discussions of scientific research within the NECTAR workshops, and TU Berlin and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft conceptualize the Science to Business Dialogues.

Participants attending the conference are expected to identify significant challenges and practical solutions to improve transportation and tourism's economic, social, and environmental sustainability in Berlin and elsewhere. Companies from the tourism and mobility sectors are invited to present their solutions and innovative approaches, reflect on and discuss current scientific and technological findings, network with each other and the scientific community, and develop new solutions and joint research activities. Policy review options and interventions will also be discussed and shared during the conference with decision-makers. The Panel Sessions, network meetings, poster sessions, and workshops provided by the Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Tourismus open a plentitude of opportunities for fruitful science-to-business dialogues.

The Conference event offers excellent opportunities for students. These opportunities mainly focus on students in tourism management, transport studies, and sustainable technology management. However, all researchers are invited to participate and submit their planned research projects for a poster session to get the opportunity to gain feedback from experts and get access to potential partners and data for project implementation. Participants can also submit project results from previous research projects that contribute significantly to sustainable mobility solutions in tourism for presentation. For event management students, there is the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in organizing an event.

Topics of the Conference

The conference will be centered around the following topics:

  • Strategies for achieving greater sustainability in tourism.
  • New digital technologies and their impact on the tourism industry.
  • Opportunities for cooperation and partnership between public and private sectors.
  • Encouraging the use of local public transportation in tourism destinations.
  • The importance of walking and cycling in sustainable tourism.
  • Electric mobility and other new transportation options.
  • Sustainability in waterborne transit and tourism.
  • Managing (over)tourism while fostering tourist acceptance

The International Conference on Sustainable Transport in Tourist Destination Cities will be conducted in English only. No interpretation services will be available.

Exception: The Science-to-Business Dialogue and Workshop „Digitale Lösungen und vernetzte Angebote in der Freizeitmobilität“ by Mittelstand-Digital Center Tourism will be conducted in German only

Participants are requested to comply with any on-site security inspection procedures.

Participation in the Conference is typically free of charge for all invited participants. Participation in any associated activities of events will be optional and may involve extra costs.

Invited participants are requested to obtain their conference badge at the registration desk. For security reasons, all participants are requested to wear their conference badges visibly whereever and whenever they are on the SRH Campus.

Sponsorships Opportunities are available. Please contact Prof. Dr. Frank Wolter.

The Conference will be organized in the most sustainable manner possible. All relevant Conference materials will be circulated in electronic formats only. Participants are requested to refrain from printing shared documents, when possible. 

Participants are encouraged to use low-carbon options for the travel to and from Berlin, including regional and (inter)national rail and bus services. Participants travelling by air are requested to purchase appropriate carbon off-sets from credible providers. 

Participants are encouraged to use local public transport where ever possible. 

Any excursions organized by the Conference Organizers will be conducted using no- or low-carbon modes of local transport.