Sustainability is important to us… but not because it’s simply an ‘in term’ these days, rather as it also places emphasis on our future, promoting both a healthy attitude towards long-term living and respectful, considerate cooperation. We, therefore, see sustainable tourism as a team effort – everyone has a role to play, both in making the appropriate decisions and adhering to a comprehensive set of criteria that put us all on the path towards achieving our sustainability goals.
As citizens of Hamburg, we feel privileged to live in our pearl of a city. Of course, we hope that enthusiasm and pride in our home will remain with us for a long time to come, both among us locals and among visitors from across the globe. We love showcasing our city to the world!
Sustainability is already a matter of course for many locals and you, as our guest, will also see the benefits this offers – indeed, a high level of sustainability can be considered ‘standard’ in a lot of the experiences you will have during your visit to Hamburg. It’s just how we roll…
These aren’t just empty words – indeed, our beautiful city of Hamburg was honoured to be named European Green Capital in 2011. The European Commission awards this distinction to cities that promote environmental protection in an exemplary manner. Of course, we’re staying on the ball and continue to lead the way in environmentally friendly practices.
For us, sustainability is not just one offer among many – we see it as an important aspect of quality. In this respect, we think of quality in holistic terms and assess the sustainable offerings not only with regard to their ecological compatibility, but with regard to their social and economic compatibility, as well.
We set great store by ensuring that our partner companies’ entire business models embrace sustainability, where they can, in the majority of their product portfolios and how they operate, for example. We rely on the information they provide us.
It’s up to the businesses themselves to increase their sustainability levels as much as they can and to take their employees and guests with them on their sustainability journey. Each business is encouraged to publicise its sustainability measures on its communication channels and, of course, you are also invited to provide feedback on your experiences. This is how we keep quality high, create transparency and learn from each other.
The following applies to all three ‘pillars of sustainability’ – some criteria are easier to satisfy and others require comprehensive concepts and long-term planning, but they all contribute to establishing sustainability or sustainable thinking, ensuring it becomes the standard throughout our city, not just in the tourism sector.
We work with numerous local providers in order for tourism in Hamburg to make a better contribution to the protection of our culture and the environment, to social inclusion and to sustainable economic growth. The Hamburg Card Green is a fine example of our teamwork – we select our partners carefully, according to strict criteria, which is how we have succeeded in bundling a wide range of very different sustainable options together to provide our visitors with a multifaceted experience of the city of Hamburg.
Hamburg Tourismus GmbH is Green Globe certified and participates in the Ökoprofit Hamburg programme. We feel that this awards are proof that we are setting a good example with our commitment to sustainable and quality-oriented tourism development.
Everywhere free travel with bus, train & harbour ferries as well as many discounts for ecological & sustainable offers!
Sustainable ExperiencesMany discounts for ecological & sustainable offers
Überall freie Fahrt mit Bus, Bahn & Hafenfähren mit der Hamburg CARD Green Plus
Online or directly in our App "Hamburg - Experiences & Savings"
We don’t consider sustainability to be a state of being. For us, it’s more an enduring process, a path that we have committed to taking in the long term – we know for sure that it isn’t something with a fixed beginning, middle and end.
You can’t, therefore, measure the success of our sustainable tourism initiatives purely in visitor numbers. Such success is reflected in the positive attitude to life the citizens of Hamburg have and, we hope, this feeling will also inspire you as our guest, perhaps bringing you back to our wonderful city over and over again.
It’s often the small details that make the biggest difference and you have the opportunity to do just that by sending us a tip, a comment or a question.
Just drop us an e-mail on nachhaltigkeit@hamburg-tourismus.de
We look forward to reading your feedback!
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