Tourism summit in Oberhausen concludes
Germany Travel Mart 2026™: From April 19th to 21st, Oberhausen was the international showcase for German tourism for three days.
At the 52nd Germany Travel Mart (GTM) of the German National Tourist Board (DZT), over 200 tour operators from around the world met with representatives from 160 German destinations and tourism industry companies in Oberhausen. Lufthansa and Sixt, as DZT premium partners, Expedia, Kuoni, and GetYourGuide are just some of the renowned representatives from the tourism sector who traveled to Oberhausen for the GTM. At the information booths in the exhibition area... Rudolf Weber-Arena Over 4.500 meetings were arranged in Oberhausen's New Center during this period. The main objectives of these meetings were to establish new business contacts, exchange information on industry trends, and negotiate contracts for the coming year. The German Tourism Marketing (GTM) is considered Germany's largest inbound tourism event and is organized by the German National Tourist Board (DZT) in a different city each year.
Around the workshop, the Oberhausen Economic and Tourism Development Corporation (OWT), as host of the event, also organized two gala receptions for all participants at Topgolf and in the Metronom Theater organized. In addition to the two evening networking events, there was also a high-profile DZT meeting in the council chamber, an international press conference in the company restaurant/TZU, and an exclusive special opening of the exhibition "Mythos Wald" in the Gasometer Oberhausen on the tightly scheduled program sheets.
Excursions also to the Ruhr area
In addition, OWT organized an extensive excursion program for buyers and the 100 journalists from 30 countries who were also in attendance. Participants were able to learn about current trends, new products, and developments in the city and at selected locations in the Ruhr region on a total of ten press tours and eight so-called LiveExperience tours for tour operators. Besides the Westfield Centro, the Sealife, the Ludwig Gallery in Schloss Oberhausen, the Rehberger Bridge, St. Antony-Hütte And Sandbox VR, in particular, focused on a detailed tour of the construction site of Karls Adventure Village, which attracted considerable media attention. The new theme park opens this summer in the Neue Mitte Oberhausen district. Furthermore, Oberhausen's tourism officials, in cooperation with neighboring cities, have also included Zollverein, the Tetraeder, the German Football Museum, and Westfalenstadion as components of the sightseeing tours. A key focus was also on the activities surrounding the International Garden Exhibition 2027. The decision to host the GTM in Oberhausen is considered a strategic boost for the international marketing of the entire region.
Oberhausen: Great host
The German National Tourist Board (DZT) as organizer and the Oberhausen Tourism Board (OWT) as local organizer of the event therefore draw an extremely positive conclusion about the Germany Travel Mart and emphasize the importance of the event for the tourism development of Oberhausen:
OWT Managing Director Dr. Andreas Henseler
"Oberhausen impressively presented itself as a city in transition during the GTM. We were able to show how an industrial past has transformed into a modern experiential destination – an image boost that extends far beyond the event."
Rainer Suhr, OWT Division Head for Tourism and Marketing
“Together with our many partners from the tourism network, we have demonstrated international caliber with the GTM in Oberhausen and received exclusively positive feedback from our guests. Hopefully, this has given a significant boost not only to Oberhausen as a tourist destination, but to the entire region.”
Petra Hedorfer, Chairwoman of the Board of the German National Tourist Board (DZT)
“My thanks go to OWT for the professional organization of this year’s GTM. With a diverse supporting program, we were able to impressively present our international guests with the dynamic transformation of the Ruhr region into an attractive destination with a wide range of cultural offerings. We experienced Oberhausen as a fantastic host.”
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Press contact: OWT Oberhausen Economic and Tourism Promotion GmbH, Michael Schmitz, Tel. (0208) 850 36-36, E-Mail: michael.schmitz@owtgmbh.de, Centroallee 269, 46047 Oberhausen