World Tourist Guide Day on February 21

Hannover Marketing & Tourismus GmbH (HMTG) currently employs 65 tour guides. With their extensive knowledge and passion for the city, they lead groups on tours of Hannover covering a wide variety of topics—on foot, by bus, or by bike. Whether it’s thrilling mystery tours, atmospheric flashlight tours, or culinary discoveries in the city’s neighborhoods, the selection is diverse. You can find an overview of all city tours here.

Free City Tour for World Tour Guide Day
To celebrate World Tour Guide Day, the HMTG invites you to a free walking tour through the picturesque Old Town. The tour will take place on Sunday, February 23, at 11 a.m. The number of participants is limited to 25. Registration is required and can be done by email at staedtereise@hannover-tourismus.de on a “first come, first served” basis.

2024 Was a Record Year for City Tours in Hanover

Public city tours in Hanover saw an impressive 45.2 percent increase in 2024 compared to the previous year. Crime-themed tours were particularly popular, followed by city walks and culinary tours.
Private tours for groups were also very popular and saw a significant increase of 7.4 percent. The top three spots were taken by city walks, guided tours of the Großer Garten, and city sightseeing tours.

​​Tour Guide Profile: Interview Opportunity with Thomas Windheim
To mark World Tour Guide Day, media outlets have the opportunity to meet with Hanover-based tour guide Thomas Windheim for an interview—or, upon request, as part of a city tour. Appointments can be arranged individually.

Profile of Thomas Windheim – “A Cool Hobby at a High Level”

• Age: 55
• Born and raised in Hanover, or rather Hemmingen-Westerfeld
• Studied economics in Hanover, including a 6-month Erasmus semester abroad in Bristol (Hanover’s sister city)
• In his “normal” professional life, he works for an insurance group in Hanover with an international focus
• Languages: Fluent in German and English; a smattering of other languages is enough for “small pleasantries.”
• I found out about the city tours through an HMTG LinkedIn post (“We’re looking for new members”)
• Training as a city guide: The training began on January 9, 2024, and was “intensive and compact,” according to Windheim. It included three months of hands-on training right in the city (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.), plus participation in various walking tours, bus tours, and private training tours. Additionally: Research for—and creation of—a personal “Guide Paper” for each topic/city tour. Exam date on April 18, 2024, in German and English
• The first official guided tour took place on May 4, 2024; in 2024, Thomas Windheim conducted a total of 54 guided tours
• What makes this job so special? Windheim: “What’s particularly appealing is the close contact and interaction with the guests, who all share a common interest in learning more about and experiencing Hannover from every angle, no matter where they’re from. Our two-hour tours aren’t just packed with information—they’re always a sensory experience as well. So, my colleagues and I work to ensure that guests have an exciting and entertaining time. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed giving business travelers a brief tour of Hannover as part of my job—between meetings and dinner—and telling them more about my hometown. Consequently, being a tour guide is a cool hobby for me—and since last year, I’ve been doing it at a high level.”
• Current focus: City walks, city tours by coach, and guided tours of the Great Garden of Herrenhausen.
• What skills do you need to be a city tour guide? Above all, city tour guides need in-depth knowledge of Hanover and its history, without being expected to know every single detail. Equally important is staying up to date on current events. Particularly crucial is the ability to interact well with people and adapt flexibly to a wide variety of personalities, interests, and needs. As Thomas Windheim aptly describes it, the profession requires the adaptability of a chameleon that changes its colors—a quality that is called for anew on every tour.
• Fun fact: On days when he gives guided tours, Thomas Windheim easily walks 10,000 steps a day. 
• Most Unusual Experience: At the Leibniz Monument, visitors learn about the polymath Leibniz and the 2013 theft of the golden Leibniz cookie by Bahlsen. As part of the experience, guests are usually given a real Leibniz cookie as a memento and a little “snack” to take with them. Most guests count to see if it really has 52 teeth.

Press contact:

Ela Windels | Hannover Marketing & Tourism, LLC

Vahrenwalder Straße 7 | 30165 Hannover | Phone: 0511/123490-26

presse@hannover-marketing.de