Mair extends contract: Black Forest tourism into the next chapter!

Mair extends contract: Black Forest tourism into the next chapter!

Hansjörg Mair will remain managing director of Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH (STG) for another six years. Since taking over the position in September 2017, Mair has made a decisive contribution to the development of the Black Forest as an attractive travel destination. Under his leadership, STG implemented innovative marketing strategies and focused on topics such as internationality and digitalization. The aim of his contract extension is to continue the region's success story and further strengthen the Black Forest's position as a top tourism region in Europe black forest current reported.

Among the projects that Mair initiated are the “Competence Center for Tourism in the Black Forest”, the KUCK-KUCK campaign to stimulate tourism after the pandemic and the culinary Black Forest Gourmet Award “kuckuck”. The agenda also includes the Black Forest Architecture Route and the “Black Forest Sneaker Collection” in cooperation with PUMA. Digital projects such as Schwarzwald Marie, an AI-supported service offering, were also implemented under his leadership.

Tourism figures and developments

The region recorded a positive recovery in tourism in 2022. From January to November, around 7.5 million guests were counted in the Black Forest, which represents an increase of 61 percent compared to the previous year. The number of overnight stays climbed by 42.5 percent to around 20.1 million. However, these positive developments cannot hide the fact that the numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels lifepr reported.

The increase in foreign guests was particularly noticeable, with around 4.3 million overnight stays, more than twice as many as in the previous year. Almost 91 percent of overnight stays from abroad come from Europe, with Switzerland having the largest market share of 34.9 percent. Domestic guests booked around 15.75 million overnight stays in the same period, an increase of 31.1 percent.

Challenges for the industry

Despite these positive numbers, there are challenges. Many companies are struggling with shortened opening hours and closures due to a lack of employees. The industry in particular is under pressure when it comes to training and promoting staff. The Schwarzwald Genuss-Award kuckuck 2023 is awarded to a company that is particularly committed to this important task. Managing director Mair is optimistic for 2023, but sees the need to harness the value created from tourism for the region to ensure the long-term stability and growth of the sector.

Overall, the current developments in the Black Forest offer both opportunities and challenges, with Hansjörg Mair's renewed contract extension being seen as a sign of continuity and commitment to the future of the region.