Self-declaration of the HMTG

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability means taking responsibility and commitment for the present and the future. The fundamental idea of sustainability is not living at the expense of tomorrow. Sustainability is understood as an "ethical principle" that demands a holistic approach to addressing societal challenges. Sustainability extends beyond environmental and nature conservation; it also encompasses the fields of ecology, economy, and social aspects.

Sustainable tourism is contemporary

Sustainable tourism describes a particularly future-oriented form of travel. In this "gentle tourism," considerations beyond nature conservation include economic and socio-cultural factors. Sustainability has become an important quality criterion in tourism.

Goal of HMTG: To present and maintain the Hannover region as a sustainable, livable, and future-oriented location!

As the marketing company for the Hannover region and its 21 municipalities, HMTG strives to present the location as a future-oriented and sustainable living space. Urban vitality in the green state capital and nature-rich surrounding municipalities with diverse leisure opportunities make it easy to create active sustainable travel experiences, both in leisure and business tourism. This includes resource-efficient concepts for sustainable leisure activities and event planning, as well as the preservation of cultural heritage.

Approximately 1.175 million people live in the Hannover region (as of 2023). It is essential for them to shape their living space in an environmentally and socially compatible manner. This is the driving force behind HMTG's commitment. It means further developing the location, tourism, and event management in a more climate-friendly and socially acceptable way. Therefore, we consider it part of our mission to daily raise awareness among residents and guests about responsible resource management and to inspire them to choose environmentally friendly paths through:

Location marketing

Tourism marketing

Event marketing

To make this successful,

✓ we strengthen the balance between the region's growth and prosperity on one hand, and the promotion of ecological and socially compatible aspects on the other hand through our marketing measures.

✓ we provide information about a sustainable stay in Hannover and the region. Our communication efforts focus on local businesses in the hospitality and accommodation industry, carbon-neutral mobility through public transportation, sharing offers and bike tours, parks and recreational areas, shops, and restaurants with sustainable and fair offerings, as well as various leisure, entertainment, and cultural activities, and environmentally conscious leisure activities in the region. The quality of life in the green city of Hannover and the entire region is also part of our communication and marketing efforts.

✓ we offer guidance by bundling and highlighting sustainability offerings and projects across all communication channels - in tourism through printed materials on eco-friendly paper, in location marketing through online campaigns promoting sustainable study programs and #NewTravel as parts of our current location campaign, or the campaign "Travelling without moving – Experience Hannover digitally." On our websites, such as https://www.visit-hannover.com/Hannoverweb/Nachhaltigkeit-in-Hannover, we consolidate the topic of sustainability and provide a comprehensive overview of the multitude of attractive offers and tips, actions, events, and lectures related to sustainable living in Hannover. We draw attention to environmentally conscious behavior in daily life through bio-weekly markets, local shops and products, eco-infrastructure, and resource-saving leisure activities. Hannover as a sustainable tourism destination and economic location holds a high value through the highlighted areas of sustainable hotels and locations, coworking spaces, and Hannover as a Smart City.

✓ we raise awareness of sustainable offerings through various communication channels and regularly make them visible. With ideas for sustainable vacation experiences, we provide impulses for topics such as:

• Moorroutes
• Farmroutes
• Recreation
• Culture for free
• Discover your region
• VR tours
• Geocaching in the Hannover region, Ge(o)heimnisse (Ge(o)secrets)
• Experience packages like maritime Steinhude
• Carbon-neutral travel to the Hannover region
• Pop-up stores with regional products in the Tourist Information

✓ we design sustainable offerings ourselves. In our conception, we also respond to climate change, such as with our flashlight tour, which we initiated during the energy crisis. Other tours include:

• City walk
• Culinary neighborhood tours
• Culinary bike tours
• Flashlight tour for children
• Bike tour through green Hannover
• Barrier-free city tours and guided tours (the Red Thread is accessible to all wheelchair users, and the public hop-on-hop-off city tour is barrier-free)
• Active Nature Experience package
• Family packages

✓ we carefully check the hotels listed on our extensive booking portal for sustainability aspects. For this purpose, we have developed a checklist with criteria such as waste reduction and the use of regional ingredients, aiming to create transparency for ecological actions. Hotels that meet the standards are awarded a sustainability label on our portal.

✓ we motivate our partners and local stakeholders online and on social media by regularly presenting pioneering best practices, thereby promoting the growth of the "Sustainability Network."

✓ we support event organizers free of charge with our expert team from the Congress and Event Office in organizing sustainable conferences and events of various sizes and formats in the city and the region - from green meeting rooms to certified event venues - with the goal of promoting environmental awareness and presenting innovative solutions to ecological challenges. An outstanding offering is the extensive and user-friendly booking portal for sustainable locations in the state capital and the Hannover region. Virtual 360° tours provide a first impression of the locations.

✓ we implement immersive technologies such as Augmented Reality, the use of AI-based voice assistants, and artificial intelligence applications in the form of a chatbot. We financially support and promote projects like Augmented Street Signs in cooperation with the Hannover University of Applied Sciences or Geocache tours like Ge(o)heimnisse through Hannover and the region. In addition to sustainability, digitization and accessibility are essential components in which HMTG sees itself as a pioneer. This includes the implementation of accessible social media posts with alternative texts for the visually impaired and subtitles for the hearing-impaired.

✓ our employees in the Congress Office, Tourist Information, and City Tours Team accompany and advise guests in their search for sustainable hotels, city tours, offers, and products.

✓ we expand and establish partnerships with providers committed to sustainability to continually expand guest choices. Our latest project is the implementation of a CO2 calculator on our websites. This tool aims to raise awareness that every step counts in sustainable event planning.

✓ we participate in the sustainability project of the city cooperation About Cities, thus contributing to knowledge exchange among cities.

✓ we embrace diversity because all events organized by HMTG, such as the Maschseefest, International Fireworks Competition, or Glitterbox, are international and multicultural - designed for all people, cultures, age groups, gender identities, and sexual orientations. The programs are as diverse as the guests we aim to reach.

✓ we think digital because all brochures are also available online, and our offerings are directly bookable online.

• City tour tickets are provided digitally
• We have an online ticket shop, e.g., for the fireworks competition
• Many experience packages are already digitally delivered
• We offer digital multilingualism
• With Hannover 360° videos - traveling without moving
• Hannover Kongress avoids print and paper, processes are handled digitally

✓ we organize sustainability through coordination and networking, by bundling information flows.

✓ Together with committed partners, we position ourselves to market the 21 municipalities and communities of the Hannover region as a travel destination and economic location with sustainable offerings to the best of our ability. We see the promotion of sustainability as an ongoing task.

✓ we make the HMTG office everyday life sustainable by:

• Avoiding plastic with glass bottles and water filters
• Providing job tickets for Üstra public transportation
• Fostering a culture of respect and mutual appreciation
• Mindful use of paper, e.g., through centralized printers.