News ticker
Studying in times of COVID-19
The tourism industry is strongly affected by the corona crisis, but at the same time it shows how important sustainability is for the future development of tourism. Why it is worthwhile to study Sustainable Tourism Management at the HNEE despite or even because of the corona crisis, is explained by the head of the study programme Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Strasdas in the statement Study sustainable tourism management! Even in corona times?. Further articles and contributions of our professors as well as an insight how lecture looks like during the current winter semester 2020/2021, can be found in our news posts and as well as in the list of press releases (see below).
Stay up to date with the Instagram Account of the Sustainable Tourism Management course.
News from the degree programme
Review of the winter semester 20/21
Despite uncertain future scenarios for tourism development, more students enrolled in Sustainable Tourism Management last semester than ever before. And although most of the teaching took place online, the content was no less diverse.
The Entrepreneurship Summit, which is an integral part of the first semester, took place online this time and provided insight into creative, entrepreneurial solutions for sustainable development. In the Digitalisation and Ethics module, the students took a trip into the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain. Tourism on a local level, technical innovations to limit climate change and current marketing topics were also part of the content, as was an analysis of time- and self-management.
We jointly piloted online teaching, have learned a lot and are excited to see what the summer semester brings next.
NTM students win with the "Zum runden Tisch" platform
The ENTER21 conference included an innovation competition for the first time this year. It was organised by Prof. Dr. Wolfram Höpken of Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences and Prof. Dr. Claudia Brözel of HNEE. Interdisciplinary teams of students from all over the world competed with ideas on the topic of ICT for Sustainability and eQuality.
We are happy that the two NTM students Felix Fröhlich and Lukas Freitag won the first prize! With their digital platform "Zum runden Tisch", they convinced the nine-member jury in the multi-stage competition.
The platform is the digital answer to the challenge of gastronomy. With low-threshold tips, tools and recommendations for action, it helps restaurant operators in the independent transformation process to sustainable businesses.
In the new NTM module "Innovation Challenge", the two students were accompanied in the competition by Prof. Dr. Claudia Brözel.
Further information: https://enter-conference.org/compete/
ENTER21@yourplace
From 19 to 22 January, the ENTER21 conference with a focus on e-Tourism took place. The annual event of the International Federation for Information Technologies in Travel and Tourism (IFITT) was held online for the first time in 2021. It was organised under the leadership of NTM professor Claudia Brözel.
The programme consisted of over 100 presentations, 15 lectures, three panel discussions and digital imaginations of destinations. Digital transformation of tourism, smart tourism and sustainable development were topics as well as the impact of the Corona crisis. 400 (virtual) visitors and numerous supporters from 40 countries contributed to the success of the conference.
Background information and further insights can be found on the conference homepage and blog.
All contributions that were recorded can be found in the programme under the respective speakers.
University Information Day 2021
The next university information day will take place on January 16.
Professor Dr. Strasdas will present our degree programme from 10 am → here: https://hit.hnee.de/
Of course, everything will be digital, but not less extensive. Among other things, the NTM programme director will report why it is worthwhile to study sustainable tourism management at HNE Eberswalde and what the admission requirements are for the Master's programme. In addition, the NTM curriculum will be presented and the career prospects after successful completion will be discussed.
For those interested, there will be an exciting programme throughout the day to learn more about the HNEE and its study programmes. In addition to live study programme presentations, they can also expect live chats in which first-hand information about the university will be provided.
More information: https://hit.hnee.de/
Third Corona Forum for NTM students
The NTM Corona Tourism Forum took place for the third time on December 17. During the forum, which was attended by around 50 students, a wide range of topics related to the Corona crisis were covered: Prof. Hartmut Rein gave an overview of German tourism in times of Corona and the impact on destination management. Hon. Prof. Nicole Häusler spoke about the perspectives of the fields of developing countries and cooperation. And Prof. Wolfgang Strasdas gave an outlook on tourism development scenarios for 2021. The input was supplemented by Prof. Miroslav Roncak (Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic), who spoke about the influence of the pandemic on Czech tourism. Finally, Jana Ubben reported on the role of Corona during the research for her thesis.
The second part was dedicated to the discussion of the presented topics and the students' questions. Among other things, the further effects on travel behaviour, the role of development cooperation during the Corona crisis, as well as the upcoming NTM practical semester were discussed in this context.
Multimedia wanderlust
Although, or perhaps because, travel is currently limited, the subject of sustainable tourism receives a great deal of attention.
NTM professor and head of the study programme Dr. Wolfgang Strasdas reports on the topic in a number of media reports:
In the Saarlandwelle feature, he explains how sustainable it is to travel around Germany and explains how to get to Mallorca without a plane. Together with Prof. Strasdas, rbb Inforadio is also taking a close look at various means of transport and evaluating them for sustainability. The Audible Podcast Planet A deals with wildlife tourism and what to consider when travelling in this manner.
Martin Balaš from ZENAT was also recently a welcome guest: Deutsche Welle's feature is about whether sustainable tourism is a realistic concept for the future.
(Unfortunately the linked articles are only available in German.)
How does sustainability affect tourism after the Corona Pandemic?
In the course of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in tourism, our course director Prof. Dr. Strasdas conducted a survey in cooperation with Dagmar Lund-Durlacher, Marco Giraldo, Filiz Kück and Swantje Lehners. The aim was to find out how German and Austrian tourism companies, associations and organisations see the importance of sustainability in the corona recovery phase and in a future post-corona world. The results should provide indications as to whether there is a - possibly also increased - willingness to implement sustainability goals in tourism in the post-corona period, or whether, on the contrary, it is to be feared that such goals will be questioned with reference to the massive economic problems of the industry. For further details and insights, the results of the survey are available here (German only).
Will sustainable tourism emerge as a phoenix from the COVID 19 crisis?
In a contribution of "Tourismus Wissen quarterly" our course director for "Sustainable Tourism Management" Prof. Dr. Strasdas as well as Martin Balaš and Dagmar Lund-Durlacher present the current events in tourism in an expert discussion. Hypotheses and current studies were used to discuss sustainable tourism development after the Corona crisis. Different scenarios show how tourism could develop and what significance sustainability could play in tourism. The whole article can be viewed here (German only).
The HNEE invites online to the university information days!
As this year's "Open House Day" has to be cancelled due to Corona, all departments have joined forces in the last few weeks and created a wonderful university information website together with the IT department. During the university information days from 23 to 26 June, interested students can get a first impression of the courses offered by the HNEE online. The Master's programme "Sustainable Tourism Management" will be presented in detail online on Thursday, 26 June at 3 pm. Those who would like to test their knowledge of sustainable tourism in advance will find a quiz from the Master's programme on the HIT-Website and here (in German only).
Corona Forum Tourism
In the already second "Corona Forum Tourism" our students could again address their questions about the current situation and development. In the form of short statements, the professors Prof. Dr. Hartmut Rein, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Strasdas and Hon. Prof. Dr. Nicole Häusler conveyed their current knowledge on the Covid-19 situation and how it affects the tourism industry, the acceptance of tourism and climate protection.
Prof. Dr. Häusler also focused on developments in developing and emerging countries. Afterwards, the students discussed with the lecturers various aspects of the Corona pandemic and their perspectives for sustainability.
It is a fact that the corona-induced standstill represents a great challenge for the tourism industry, but at the same time it also shows the importance of the tourism sector worldwide. It remains exciting to see to what extent the corona pandemic and its effects will be perceived in the future as an impulse for sustainable changes in the tourism industry and how it will influence our future travel behaviour.
Glad when some keeps staying.
Even during the Corona crisis it was still possible to keep a well-known tradition of NTM study alive. The annual Destination Simulation Game was as successful as the years before, even as an online event. During a two-day online simulation, students learned how a destination can develop over the years.
The students were assigned among different tourism service providers such as hotels, tourism organisations, mountain railways or event organisers and faced the challenge of taking economically relevant decisions for the respective companies. The Swiss instructors Roland Lymann and Urs Wagenseil supported the students as game leaders and helped them with the analysis of key business figures.
We are looking forward to welcoming them back to Eberswalde next year and thank them for the flexible online lecture.
The Destination Simulation Game 2020. First time from home
We're continuing to teach!
The Corona crisis has the world in its grip and the university has to suspend its classroom teaching for the time being. Since everyone's health takes first priority, it is only natural that students should follow "social distancing". But lecture cancellation is out of the question and so the desks at home are transformed into a new lecture hall.
With the help of various online tools, students and professors can organise themselves perfectly. Lectures, presentations, group work and academic achievements are made possible even in these unusual times. Everyone is highly motivated and flexible, so that the scheduled lectures can be well held.
Green graduate caps and beaming faces!
On Tuesday, 25th February 2020 the time had come again. Full of pride and joy we were allowed to say goodbye to three new graduates.
Ramzi Yakoub, Lisa Reichelt and Mara Tillmann successfully defended their master theses. They celebrated their graduation with beaming faces and our typical green graduate caps .
We congratulate them and wish them much success and all the best for the future.
From left to right: Lisa Reichelt and Ramzi Yakoub
Welcome to HNEE!
The orientation week for first semester students began on Monday, 23/09/2019. We would also like to take this opportunity to warmly welcome them!
It was a great pleasure to personally meet 32 students, who all contribute interesting professional and academic backgrounds.
From those who have completed typical business administration and tourism management degrees to geographers and ethnologists; also this year our students boast an interdisciplinary mix of academic backgrounds.
After a guided tour of Eberswalde and the traditional enrolment celebration on Thursday, there is also a tourism-related guided tour of Berlin on Friday that concludes with a discussion on the German national tourism strategy in 2020 in the German Bundestag.
We are looking forward to joint activities with the 2019 NTM intake!
Some of the 2019 NTM intake discovered Eberswalde on a guided tour, which started on our campus.
Alumni forum attended by top-class visitors
On Friday, 6th September, the alumni forum for the “Sustainable Tourism Management” Master’s study programme was held.
At this happy reunion, not only alumni from the same and different year groups met up but also top-class representatives of the tourism sector from local to national level took part in a lively discussion.
For example, the representatives included Dirk Dunkelberg of the Deutscher Tourismusverband (DTV - German tourism association), Olaf Schlieper from the Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT - German National Tourist Board) and Peter Krause from the Landestourismusverband Brandenburg (Brandenburg tourism association).
In this way, students, university applicants, lecturers and alumni got talking to each other.
Particular thanks go to our alumni, such as Dr. Jan Behrens (Brandenburg Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy), Lynn Ciminski (tourism cluster management in Brandenburg), Juliane Frank (Tourismusverband Dahme-Heideseen - tourism association for the Dahme Heide lakes), Petra Beck (Chamäleon Foundation) and many more who actively contributed to our event.
From left to right:
Peter Krause (LTV BB), Olaf Schlieper (DZT), Dirk Dunkelberg (DTV), Petra Beck (Chamäleon Foundation), Jutta Albert (Tourismus und Stadtmarketing Husum), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Strasdas (HNEE)
European IFITT Masterclass on eTourism in September in Vienna
Between 2nd and 6th September, the International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT) gave a course for Master’s students from around the world at the Modul University in Vienna. As part of the course, various topics around the usage and impact of information and communication technology on tourism were presented and discussed. Prof. Brözel presented the topic, “How to think like a future tourism manager and researcher?” The “EIFMeT” is held every year in a different country. Last year, HNE Eberswalde was the host for the master class and we were thrilled that 33 students from 14 countries participated. You can find the 2018 presentations by all the international professors here. Also this year, participants were able to enjoy an international mix of students and lecturers.
Flyer for 2019 IFITT master class
Participants of the EIFMet 2019 in Vienna
Projects in “AMM” module successfully passed
All student group work in the current summer semester in the context of the “applied marketing management” (AMM) module was completed in practical projects with external partners.
In this regard, the students could select from the projects: “Let's Talk”, “Move On”, “Plastic Free Hotel” and “Moving Picture”. Our partners were Wangerland Touristik GmbH, Tourismuszentrale Rügen Gesellschaft für Marketing und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit mbH, Hotelverband Deutschland (IHA - German hotel association) and Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE).

The Move-On project came from a cooperation with the Tourismuszentrale Rügen Gesellschaft für Marketing und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit mbH.
Majorca without flying!
This year, NTM lecturer Dr. Wolfgang Strasdas did not fly to this year’s department field trip despite it being in Majorca.
You can read how his journey went and what experiences he had in his detailed report.
On the way to the ferry from Toulon to Alcúdia: Over ten hours on the blue Mediterranean Sea, which is surprisingly large and wide. There was no land in sight for hours.
Press releases
In times of the corona pandemic, Friday for Future, flight shame and controversial political discussions about strategies to protect the climate, the professors and students of the Master's programme in Sustainable Tourism Management are sought-after interview partners for press and radio. Here you can find some current examples:
Topic
Type of contribution
Interviewees/contributors
Source/author
Link/download
Corona and tourism
TV feature:
01.03.2021
Prof. Brözel
MDR Kultur
Corona and tourism
Radio feature:
26.02.2021
Prof. Brözel
Deutschlandfunk Kultur
Corona and tourism
Newspaper article:
31.12.2020
Prof. Brözel
ZEIT online
Corona and tourism
Article:
27.12.2020
Prof. Brözel
SPIEGEL Reisen
Sustainable Tourism
Podcast:
24.11.2020
Prof. Strasdas
Studio 36 Berlin
Sustainable Tourism
Radio feature:
17.11.2020
Prof. Strasdas
rbb Inforadio
Sustainable Tourism
Radio feature:
16.11.2020
Prof. Strasdas
SR 3 - Saarlandwelle
Sustainable Tourism
TV feature:
14.11.2020
Martin Balas (ZENAT member)
Deutsche Welle
Occupational field Sustainable Tourism
Article
09 2020
Raphaele Potts (almuni)
WILA Arbeitsmarkt
Climate-friendly travel
Interview
09 2020
Prof. Strasdas
ADAC Motorwelt
ADAC Motorwelt, 03 2020, S. 26
Corona and sustainable tourism
Interview
08 2020
Prof. Strasdas
German Travel Association (DRV)
Sustainable tourism
Interview
02.06.2020
Prof. Brözel
Allgemeine Zeitung
Travel in future
Contribution
20.04.2020
Prof. Brözel
Deutschlandfunk
Corona and tourism
Online newspaper article
24.02.2020
Prof. Brözel
InSüdthüring.de
Sustainable tourism (clients)
Online newspaper article
24.02.2020
Prof. Brözel
ENORM MAGAZIN
Sustainability of tour operators
Online newspaper article
27.08.2019
Prof. Brözel
Allgemeine Zeitung
Sustainable tourism (problems of long-distance and air travel)
Radio interview
03.08.2019
Prof. Strasdas
Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR)
Sustainable tourism
Contribution
17.07.2019
Prof. Strasdas
Südwestecho, Ausgabe Nr. 163
Growing tourism
Television broadcast
04.07.2019
Prof. Brözel
3Sat
Sustainable tourism
Interview
21.06.2019
Prof. Strasdas
Deutschlandfunk
Sustainable tourism
Contribution
30./31.03.2019
Prof. Rein
Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger Magazin, Nr. 76
Overtourism
Article on the occasion of the ITB 2018
09.03.2018
Prof. Brözel
Deutschlandfunk