The Spessart Tourismus und Marketing GmbH has initiated a lot for tourism in the Spessart and the Main-Kinzig district since it was founded around five years ago. These include the hiking trails Spessart tracks and the expansion of mountain bike routes as well as the Spessart magazine and the modern website, the many excursion tips from the Spessart ambassadors and much more. The Main-Kinzig-Kreis and the regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which support the company, can be satisfied with the work and the results of the company. The number of day-trippers from the region to the Spessart increased, especially during the pandemic waves, when a holiday abroad was out of the question for people. But the more visitors flock to the health resorts and the natural landscape of the Spessart, the more resources are consumed.Managing director Bernhard Mosbacher and his team are aware of this. The aim was to become the first travel destination in Hessen to be certified as sustainable. The state of Hesse is accompanying the project because it wants to gain experience for other regions, says Mosbacher.

Luise Glaser-Lotz

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Main-Kinzig district.

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The tourism company pursues its goal of marketing the “Spessart” brand in a variety of ways, coordinating the existing tourist offers and uniting regional players in a network.

A strategic development plan serves as the basis and, since 2020, participation in the federally funded research project “NaTourHuKi” (sustainable tourism concept for Hanau and the western part of the Main-Kinzig district in the context of the Rhine-Main regional park).

It is initially planned for three years and is funded as part of the “Stadt-Land-Plus” initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The focus is on the Kinzig valley from Steinau to Hanau.

The area is not intended to advance only as a recreational space.

It is also about avoiding conflicts of use between citizens and tourists as well as between economic aspects and the requirements of nature.

Making the Spessart the first region in Hesse to go through the process of becoming a sustainable travel destination is a project within the framework of “NaTourHuKi”.

Since the “Spessart regional” initiative has joined as a funding partner, the area surrounding the activities is limited to its core area.

Network of participants must be established

At least this will make the project area a little more manageable, because a lot of additional work is waiting for the tourism company. The company is supported by the experts from "TourCert", an international certification organization. Finally, it awards the destination certification “sustainable travel destination”. First, according to Mosbacher, a network of committed participants must be built up. That could be the bakery, which gives out environmentally friendly cups for the coffee to go and does not use plastic foils, or an unpackaged shop. Restaurateurs, hoteliers, shop owners, ice cream parlor operators, regional marketers and many others who are involved in tourism in the region in the broadest sense should be addressed.

If you want to take part, fill out an online checklist.

This is not just about direct environmental concerns.

Questions are also asked, for example, about employee satisfaction, fair pay, the profitability of the company, the use of green electricity or the means of transport used by employees on the way to and from the workplace.

There are even questions about the cleaning agents used.

During the evaluation, adjustment screws are sought in order to remedy possible deficits, says Mosbacher.

In addition, a corporate mission statement is to be created in which sustainability plays a key role.

A continuous improvement program and a sustainability report are also required.

Further results of the certification process should be the involvement of the population and the sensitization of the travelers for a sustainable tourism, which benefits humans, animals and the environment equally. The organizational side includes the deployment of a sustainability officer and the establishment of a sustainability advisory board as a strategic body that is supposed to meet twice a year. Mosbacher assumes that the process will be completed in about a year and that the Hessian Spessart will be declared a “pilot destination in Hesse”. The proof is a corresponding seal of approval. The Spessart was one of the first five low mountain ranges in Germany to be a certified “sustainable travel destination”. The Hessian Spessart becomes a member of the "Excellence Initiative Sustainable Travel Destinations",in which already certified and interested destinations work together.