Experience nature in an environmentally friendly and comfortable way: The new aconium GmbH project supports e-bike tourism in the Harz Mountains and the Harz foreland.
The Harz Mountains are one of Germany’s tourist hotspots. In 2016, the region recorded more than 6.5 million overnight stays, and the trend is rising. Nature and hiking enthusiasts in particular use the highest mountain range in northern Germany with its extensive forests and numerous river valleys for recreation. In order for tourism in the region to develop sustainably, it must open up to current trends. For some years now, cycling and the use of e-bikes in particular have become increasingly popular with holidaymakers in the Harz Mountains.
The e-bike paradise project aims to enhance regional cycle tourism. The aim is to develop a networked e-bike system with information on routes and all the necessary infrastructure: booking system, rental, service and charging stations.
The project is being implemented in cooperation with the Austrian LEADER region“Südburgenland plus”, which has already gained positive experience in this area. Regions from Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt are cooperating on the project. Experience with the popular Harz hiking pin – a reward system for active hikers – is also being taken into account. For example, the introduction of a “cyclist pin” is being prepared for southern Burgenland.
The two regional offices of aconium GmbH in Osterholz-Scharmbeck (Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein) and Leipzig (Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia) are responsible for project management, organizing events and training courses and implementing public relations work. The tasks of aconium GmbH in the project also include moderating the transfer of knowledge between the participants from Germany and Austria and supporting the communication strategy at national and transnational level.