New tourism concepts for Ahrtal

• Interdisciplinary project of 50 students and four professors (Prof. Dr. Margit Bölts, Prof. Dr. Peter Neumann, Prof. Dr. Felix Wölfle and Prof. Dr. David Rempel) from tourism, event management and food management.
• Tourism concepts should serve as a blueprint for other regions
• IU drives increasingly important crisis management among tourism professionals
   

Bad Honnef, Germany, 11 July 2023. On 14 and 15 July 2021, a flood wave destroyed an entire region and thus also its tourism infrastructure. Now, 50 IU students from the fields of tourism, event management and food management have developed tourism concepts that are to lead Ahrtal as a tourism region out of the crisis and make it attractive for guests again. The interdisciplinary projects of IU students and professors Prof. Dr. Margit Bölts, Prof. Dr. Peter Neumann, Prof. Dr. Felix Wölfle and Prof. Dr. David Rempel, who come from the IU campuses in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Münster, Frankfurt and Nuremberg, among others, are also intended to serve as a blueprint for other crisis-ridden tourism regions.

The IU project shows how important crisis management is in modern tourism and that tourism professionals will have to deal with issues such as extreme weather events and their consequences to a greater extent in the future.
U International University of Applied Sciences (IU) is the first German university and latest member to join the Association of African Universities (AAU). IU joins AAU pursuant to its mission that everybody can access education to grow. Through its AAU membership, IU can exchange knowledge and experience with other institutions in a diversity of areas and specialisations, such as personalised and hybrid learning – a core approach to IU’s success. As Germany’s largest and fastest growing university with more than 100,000 students, its learners will be able to access the Database of African Theses and Dissertations (DATAD), as well as scholarship grants and student exchange opportunities.

A festival, a new bridge and a wave facility

“From an Ahrtal festival at the airfield, to the Ahrtal Charity Rally, to a YogAHR weekend - the IU students' suggestions are diverse. They are intended to emphasise the region's advantages and at the same time create new incentives for visiting the formerly popular holiday region. 

The students have also taken the geographical conditions into account: Under the name "Ahrtropolis", a suspension rope bridge is to be built on an unfinished railway line. For this purpose, the four former bridge piers in the Adenbach Valley are to be extended with different suspension elements. With the special features of Ahrtal in mind - wine, water and nature – it's an ideal addition to the existing hiking opportunities on site. 

Another idea is to build a wave facility in the Ahr. The first standing wave in the western part of Germany should make Ahrtal attractive, especially for younger people. The water sports attraction offers potential for an entire recreational area including surfboard rental, gastronomy and camper pitches. It is not only tourists who will benefit from this measure, but also locals who are keen on sports.

In addition to these large-scale projects, the IU students also proposed short-term measures. These include, for example, a regional and sustainable food concept under the name "So is(s)t Ahrtal" - a play on words for “this is Ahrtal” and “this is how Ahrtal eats” - a guiding principle for all gastronomic establishments, or an interactive flood hike that presents the historical natural disaster. The focus is always on the region and the changed conditions after the flood. 

"By working closely with local businesses, we have been able to gain valuable insights into the needs of the tourism industry in Ahrtal and thus develop high-quality proposals," says Prof. Dr. David Rempel, academic site director at IU in Nuremberg and Regensburg and professor of tourism management and events. “The ideas developed by our students reflect the innovative power and creativity of our university and serve as inspiration for other crisis regions.”

Among other things, IU uses the results of the projects to further improve its degree programmes and to promote practical and interdisciplinary exchange. In doing so, the pioneering role in linking theory and practice in the fields of tourism, event and food management is to be further expanded.

From tourism manager to crisis manager

In view of rising temperatures and increasing weather extremes, tourism experts must be perfectly prepared professionally. The effects of the flood disaster in Ahrtal have shown how important effective crisis management and innovative approaches to solutions are in tourism. With their projects, the IU students have developed a new perspective for Ahrtal tourism. The interdisciplinary approach and the resulting concepts show how an educational institution can advance not only its students but also entire regions.

"We are proud that IU and its students are acting as pioneers in crisis management, serving as an inspiration not only for Ahrtal, but also for other areas hit by crises," says Prof. Dr. David Rempel. “More and more regions are affected. Popular destinations, such as northern Italy, are alternately hit by extreme droughts and severe floods - and this is also flourishing for us. Now and in the future, active crisis management is therefore needed in all tourism-related areas. This is exactly what we teach at IU from the very first semester.”