Franziska Giffey guest at tourism conference at SRH: Impulses for sustainable tourism and urban mobility

The conference kicked off with workshops on Thursday. Scientists from the NECTAR network in Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Germany presented current research findings on tourist flows and digital services. At the same time, practitioners from the SME sector developed solutions for intelligent, sustainable mobility as an experience enhancer in workshops organised by the SME Centre for Digital Tourism together with Mittelstadt-Selstrom.

One highlight was the evening together on board an excursion boat from the Riedel shipping company, which generously provided the ship. The trip combined science and practice in a lively city tour on the Spree - an atmospheric networking format on the move.

The second day began with a welcome address by SRH President Prof. Dr Victoria Büsch, who emphasised the interdisciplinary dialogue and social responsibility of the university. This was followed by the keynote speech from Berlin's Mayor and Senator for Economics, Energy and Enterprise, Franziska Giffey. She emphasised the importance of sustainable urban and tourism development, presented Berlin's new water tourism concept and reaffirmed SRH's role as a driving force for innovative solutions - such as the electric boat project for the Estrel Congress Center.

"When we talk about the future of Berlin, we need the ideas and innovative strength of young people - especially from the universities," said Giffey. The event addressed key challenges and opportunities for urban areas: Tourism off the beaten track, mobility concepts of the future and the use of digital solutions for climate-friendly urban development.

The electrification of tourist ships was the topic of the first panel. Louise Ahrens, Managing Director of Solarwaterworld, cited the challenges - particularly the lack of charging infrastructure and limited access to the jetties - as a particular obstacle. The company Candela demonstrated that electrically powered ferries can travel fast and benefit both tourists and commuters. However, a speed limit to protect the shore and the environment slows down the use of modern ships, even though they hardly cause any swell. All participants saw great potential for the use of such electric ships, for example to improve connections to Köpenick or Potsdam.

The second panel was dedicated to Berlin's tourism focus. Susanna Bernschein from visitBerlin provided insights into how visitor management is handled in Berlin and received valuable input from international partners - including "Spotted by Locals" from the Netherlands and the tourism organisation Copenhagen. A Scottish expert explained methods for real-time measurement and management of tourist flows. The Managing Director of the Estrel also reported on how tourism companies can create acceptance in their environment and promote local development. Digital offers such as "Naturtrip" showed how lesser-known places can also be made more attractive.

The third panel focussed on the urban mobility of tourists. Operators of hop-on hop-off buses, Deutsche Bank with its Call a Bike mobility service and VOI as a provider of electric e-scooters had their say here. The contribution from IOKI, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, which presented electrically powered, on-demand minibuses - in future also self-driving - was forward-looking. This emphasises the potential of technological innovations for sustainable tourist mobility.

After the panels, participants had the opportunity to actively experience Berlin: In the Neukölln district, expert guides led them on foot through sustainable mobility projects, while a guided bike tour through the city with Berlin on Bike started at the same time. Students also took the opportunity to talk directly to experts about research questions and opportunities for cooperation.