Day of Coach Tourism: Bremerhaven Gives Impetus to Coach Tourism as Host

At the 42nd "Day of Bus Tourism," experts from all over Europe discuss travel trends.

Bremerhaven as Host: Impulses for Coach Tourism were offered at the Coach Tourism Day. (Photo: Markus_KF/pixabay)
Bremerhaven as Host: Impulses for Coach Tourism were offered at the Coach Tourism Day. (Photo: Markus_KF/pixabay)

There are good reasons to travel by bus – the participants will discuss what they are at the 42nd "Day of Bus Tourism" on January 13 in Bremerhaven. Almost 200 representatives from tour operators, bus companies, tourist destinations, the hotel industry, and the event sector will come together for the symposium at the Fischbahnhof. Their topic: new trends and developments in tourism.

Bremerhaven presents itself as the host of the conference as an ideal destination for group travel: "We have unique experiences to offer," promises Michael Gerber, Managing Director of Erlebnis Bremerhaven GmbH, the municipal company for tourism, events, and city marketing.

Bremerhaven not only embodies the maritime flair of an international port city but also addresses key future topics such as marine and climate research and the immigration and emigration of people.

Bremerhaven focuses on bus tourism

In anticipation of the maritime major event SAiL 2025, which takes place from August 13 to 17 in Bremerhaven, the demand from bus companies is already increasing significantly, says Marc Reichelt, who is responsible for sales at Erlebnis. Hardly any other place in Germany combines so many museums and experience worlds so close together as Bremerhaven, he says.

"We are also a worthwhile destination before or after the SAiL." He wants to promote this more strongly in the future: at trade fairs and events throughout Europe. "We want to significantly strengthen our sales and focus on bus tourism," says Michael Gerber. Traveling by bus is economical and environmentally friendly, says Gerber.

This fits the concept of focusing on sustainability in city tourism.

 

300 Tours with Local Guides

Of the countless tour buses that have Bremerhaven and its attractions as their destination daily, around 300 per year have so far been accompanied by a local guide for a city tour. Reichelt is counting on groups not only visiting Germany's largest city on the North Sea for just one day in the future, but also staying overnight more frequently.

The contradiction between group and individual travel resolves here: traveling together to Bremerhaven, creating an individual program on-site, that is the goal. 

Coffee Trip – Just a Cliché Now

"Traveling in a group by bus - why not?" demands organizer Dieter Gauf, urging the industry to tackle the counterarguments of bus and group travel. Seniors are still the largest target group for bus tourism. "But they have long wanted individual offers as well." Traveling in a group no longer means spending all the time together non-stop. "The cliché of the coffee trip is outdated."

Bus travel will continue to be a mainstay of mobility in Europe, Vincent Dewaele is convinced. As General Manager of BUSWORLD, he organizes events worldwide for the bus and coach industry. He sees opportunities in investing in comfort and luxury. The target group must also be adventurous travelers.

"Coaches are not just vehicles; they are the backbone of mobility, connecting cities and countryside, offering affordability with sustainability, and shaping the future of travel in a connected Europe," he says.

Bremerhaven Tourism Professor Knows the Challenges

Prof. Dr. Gina Wagener leads the International Tourism Management program at the University of Applied Sciences Bremerhaven and knows: “Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers appreciate flexible and individual travel plans. The bus hardly plays a role for them.” 

This poses a major challenge for bus and group tourism.

The image of package tours is rather poor, and people prefer to travel on their own. “A flight is quickly booked on a computer,” the tourism professor notes. Safety and comfort do not play a significant role. “But an opportunity could be to appeal to the sustainability interest of younger travelers,” says Wagener. Sustainability is a big topic, “and the bus can present a better climate balance than the airplane.”

Positive Development for Bus Tourism

Bus tourism in Germany further recovered in 2024 and shows positive developments in bookings and revenues. Following the significant declines during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the upward trend that began in 2022 continued. This is the result of an economic survey by the Federal Association of German Bus Companies.

The "Day of Bus Tourism" takes place annually and is considered the start of the tourist year for the industry. Participants from Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, as well as the Czech Republic, Norway, and the Netherlands visited Bremerhaven's tourist attractions for a day before the conference.

Translated automatically from German.