Projects and initiatives

Advance notice: The fourth national competition “Sustainable Tourism Destinations 2026/27” will be launched in September 2026. Details on the competition, conditions and deadlines will be available from August on the website below.

Tourism destinations have embarked on a journey – as the three preceding national Sustainable Tourism Destinations competitions have shown. The competition is jointly organised by the Federal Environment Ministry, the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and the German Tourism Association. It honours regions that are especially committed to sustainable tourism and encourages the further development of domestic tourism.

After the first competition in 2012-2013 (won by Uckermark region) and subsequent modifications to the format, the second competition in 2016-2017 was won by Biosphere Reserve Swabian Alb. The 2022-2023 competition introduced two prize categories. The “advanced” category was won by Biosphere Reserve Bliesgau, while the“beginner” award went to Oberstdorf and Lower Pomerania. All nominees and winners are presented in detail in the sustainability report accompanying each competition. With a view to bolstering the implementation of sustainable strategies and policies in Germany’s domestic tourism, the format was adapted before each competition based on an evaluation of those previously held.

The sustainability in tourism guideline “Nachhaltigkeit im Deutschlandtourismus”, which serves as an assessment framework and practical aid for destinations and competition alike, has been evaluated and updated. The new version was published in July 2026.

The research project “Enhancement of sustainable tourism”, concluded in 2023, explored sustainability in tourism and considered whether and how sustainability in Germany’s tourism industry can be measured and transparently compared. The project was already a recognised pilot study of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) under the global initiative “Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST)”. As such, it also supports the Federal Environment Ministry’s activities in the tourism programme of the United Nations 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns.

The final report on measurability and the development of a tourism satellite account (TSA), as well as a number of papers on issues such as sustainability, mobility, skilled labour shortages and the documentation of the international conference carried out as part of the project have already been published.

Another research project calculated the climate-relevant emissions of tourism in Germany. The project closed data gaps arising from inadequate consideration of tourism-specific transport modes such as motor homes, cars with additional equipment (caravans, roof boxes, rear and roof racks for bicycles) and passenger vessels. It also defined limits in relation to everyday mobility, domestic and international transport and between residents and non-residents. Based on these parameters, tourism mobility accounts for around 50 percent of traffic volume. The use of roof boxes and rear bike racks increases fuel consumption by between 3 and 32 percent, the use of a trailer by up to 55 percent.

Another focus is on climate change and adaptation to changing conditions in tourism destinations, such as rising average temperatures, increasing drought, more frequent extreme weather events and declining snow reliability. The project looks at tourism at the coasts, lakes and rivers and in the German Alpine and upland regions. The latest findings were presented in a webinar on 11 and 12 May 2020. The final report was published in October 2021. In addition, a guideline was drawn up with a view to supporting destination managers in adapting to climate change. The online tool “climate information system” offers interactive maps, tables and data series on past climate trends and possible future climate scenarios in Germany’s tourism regions.

Many people – and not just in the German Alpine region – are wondering how climate change is affecting winter tourism. Global warming is advancing at an even faster pace in the Alps than in the lowlands and is already visibly impacting winter tourism in the Alps, which is completely dependent on snowfall. The brochure “Winter Tourism and Climate Change” sums up current climate and travel trends in winter tourism and shows how the expectations of German winter tourists have evolved over the past years. 

The research project Finding Sustainability Information for Holiday Travel (FINDUS) explores the role sustainability plays for consumers selecting and booking holidays via online platforms.

However, online booking platforms are not the only form of digitalisation in tourism. The research project “The impact of digitisation and big data analysis on the sustainable development of tourism and its environmental impact” explores how digitalisation can affect ecological and social aspects and identifies the resulting opportunities and risks.

By funding other research and model projects, the BMUKN gives further impetus to environmentally sound tourism in Germany. It also supports the sustainable development of tourism destinations abroad that are popular with German holidaymakers. Other measures are aimed at anchoring environmental protection, climate action and biodiversity conservation more firmly in corporate decisions and tourist activities.

Support is provided, for example, for:

• cooperation and networking between stakeholders from nature conservation, tourism and sport
• nature immersion activities in National Natural Landscapes with a focus on conservation and environmental education
• sustainable trips for children and youth (Change and the City, Zero Impact Camps)
• school hiking programmes (Schulwandern), nature and environmental protection in the Alps (for instance, sustainable mobility initiatives like Alpine Pearls; Alpenkonvention AAA+).

The BMUKN is also active in the field of tourism in the framework of the Alpine Convention. The Alpine climate action competition for hotels and holiday accommodation providers, ClimaHost, has been held twice. A third ClimaHost is being prepared and will be launched in 2027.

Another pan-Alpine tourism conference is planned for 2028. The previous digital conference “Outdoor tourism with a long-distance perspective – between climate change, sustainability demands and crisis management” – was held on 16 and 17 November 2020 and drew over 300 international participants. The proceedings of the conference are available online.