Light city Jena focuses on active tourism

Active tourism experienced a significant upturn in the coronavirus year 2020. Due to the restrictions on international travel, German holidaymakers increasingly turned to domestic destinations and active recreation in nature. This trend was also noticeable in Jena. JenaKultur quickly adapted to this in the tourism sector and initiated various marketing measures to promote the City of Light Jena and its charming surroundings as an attractive destination for active tourism.

A sustained boom in active tourism is expected in 2021. We have prepared ourselves intensively for this. Among other things, the result is an expressive video that shows the various possibilities for outdoor activities in Jena and the surrounding area. We also commissioned photo productions on the subject. The new Lichtstadt magazine, which will be published in spring 2021, is also an attractive print medium with a focus on active tourism. JenaKultur/Tourismusmarketing will thus actively start promoting the 2021 outdoor season.

SaaleHorizontale - increased promotion of the attraction

Hiking on the SaaleHorizontale and the trails around Jena and in the Saaleland region has become very popular with guests as a result of increased interest in the region. This year, the quality hiking trail was awarded the brand ambassador certificate and is therefore particularly in the focus of hiking enthusiasts. With a new stage structure, expanded signage including information boards and new content in the print media and online channels, the SaaleHorizontale 2021 will be increasingly promoted as an attractive hiking trail.

Buga 2021 - Jena's external location attractively presented

During the week of the outdoor locations, Jena will present itself with an attractive installation at Buga 2021 in Erfurt. From June 14 to 20, visitors can look forward to the interesting demonstrations in the outdoor planetarium, which will be shown in cooperation with the Zeiss Planetarium and Sternevent GmbH. JenaKultur/Tourismusmarketing is thus creating an extraordinary appearance at Buga 2021 to draw guests' attention to Jena as a tourist destination and especially to the Landschaftspark an der Saale and other oases in the city. The Jena Tourist Information has included a special city tour on the Buga outdoor location Jena in its program.

Jena Tourist Information - demand is increasing

With the increase in domestic tourism in the early summer months and into late fall, the Jena Tourist Information Office was increasingly in demand as a point of contact for advice on all aspects of outdoor activities. One focus was on cyclists, who were out and about in noticeably greater numbers on the attractive cycle paths in and around Jena. Interest and demand for information on hiking, water hiking and other water sports also increased. As concerts and other events were canceled and postponed due to the coronavirus, the staff at Jena Tourist Information also had to handle the return of tickets sold and the exchange for vouchers, while at the same time dealing with customer displeasure. That wasn't always easy! But despite the current coronavirus restrictions, ticket sales picked up again in December, especially for Buga 2021 in Erfurt.

Jena hotels hit by heavy loss of revenue

JenaKultur/Tourismusmarketing launched a small survey among Jena hotels in November. The majority of respondents expect high revenue losses of between 40% and 60% for 2020, with some fearing a slump of up to 80%. The absence of business travelers was particularly noticeable. Only some smaller hotels were able to partially offset this loss through increased bookings in the private tourism sector.