"Good Practice Guide" shows how sustainable river tourism works

The results of the EU-funded Star Cities project focusing on joint strategies for sustainable tourism along rivers are now available in a so-called “Good Practices Guide". The publication highlights five tourism offers across the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and in other European regions among the best examples. 

Elbe Cycle Route and Day Tourism Campaigns

The "Star Cities" project highlights attractive offers outside of tourist hotspots from the Rome, Paris, Ljubljana, Kaunas and Hamburg regions. Although development along riverbanks holds real opportunity for European cities to create innovative and sustainable tourism, such areas are rarely seen as touristic spots and are inadequately addressed by tourism policies. 

The guide cites the "Days of Industrial Culture on the Waterfront" as a successful example of a project that links up an entire region. Other examples are the Elbe Cycle Touring Bus, which takes people on excursions to destinations such the Herzapfelhof in Jork, and the "Stade Beach" project, has revived an underused part of the harbour through a SUP club. The Elbe Cycle Route, which runs along the river and through seven German states and the Hamburg Metropolitan Region's "Day Tourism Campaign" are cited as examples of how cross-regional co-operation can add value across borders.

Sustainably connected through "green river tourism" 

Used sustainably, rivers can boost regional development by connecting cities to rural areas, protecting ecosystems and biodiversity. Tourism along the Elbe is already considered a key economic factor for the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, partly due to the Elbe Cycle Path, which is used by tourists and locals alike.

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