FH Westküste University of Applied Sciences students visit cooperation partners in the NORPFADE hiking region

A group of students from the International Tourism Management Master’s program at the FH Westküste University of Applied Sciences recently visited the NORDPFADE hiking region. As part of a case study project in the current summer semester, the students are investigating the question of how the added value in the region can be increased by hikers. The Touristikverband Landkreis Rotenburg (Wümme) e.V., the project initiator and coordinating body of the NORDPFADE, is acting as a practical partner. Together with the German Institute for Tourism Research, it supports the students in their project. Over the course of two days, the students interviewed more than 15 experts from the hotel industry, gastronomy, tourist information offices and the AG Gästeführung on possible approaches to increasing added value and their willingness to get involved in additional products. In addition to various accommodation and catering establishments, leisure facilities and tourist information offices, the students also got to know seven NORDPFADE hiking trails on their tour, which was prepared by the tourism association’s office. These were assessed in terms of their hiking infrastructure and public transport connections and hiked in sections. The students were thus able to form their own initial impression of the still young hiking region. Ralph Paulsen, owner of the Hotel Paulsen in Zeven, welcomes the cooperation with the FH Westküste University of Applied Sciences and the associated external perspective and hopes to receive practicable suggestions for further tourism development in the district. The discussions and the excursion made it clear to the students that with the NORDPFADEN, a high-quality hiking offer has been created in the district of Rotenburg (Wümme) in a relatively short time. This has now also been accepted and used intensively by the local population,” said Udo Fischer, Managing Director of the tourism association. “Through the cooperation with the FH Westküste University of Applied Sciences, we are now hoping for ideas and offers that will open up new and additional sources of income for the businesses and players directly and indirectly involved in tourism,” Fischer continues. Dr. Tim Harms, who is responsible for the tourism courses at the FH Westküste University of Applied Sciences, and Christian Eilzer, the scientific advisor from the German Institute for Tourism Research, are looking forward to the ideas that the students will develop to increase value creation in the region. Both emphasize the special significance that courses such as this cooperation project have for students. By combining a real-life question with expert discussions on site and support from the German Institute of Tourism Research, students are prepared for applied research activities during their studies. “This project also supports the activities of the German Institute for Tourism Research’s research focus on hiking,” says Christian Eilzer, emphasizing the synergetic effect between applied research work at the FH Westküste University of Applied Sciences and the students’ performance in the seminars. 2023.04_West Coast UAS visits NP hiking region – here NP Dört Moor (c) Touristikverband LK ROW_ccBY__185652.jpg