Friends of Hiking, trekking and outdoor activities were enthusiastic about this year's TourNatur. Families with children, who mastered the special children's rally program with joy, as well as "Best Agers" love the fair. Here they can find out about really sustainable holiday forms and get to know many regions in the low mountain ranges and the Alps, but also long-distance hiking trails by the sea, in wooded areas and southern Europe. The "green lungs" of the metropolises on the Rhine, Ruhr and Main areas were also particularly popular. As an example of hiking trails in the vicinity of cities, the Frankfurt Green Belt Circular Hiking Trail was awarded the McTREK Innovation Prize 2019 for the most innovative hiking trail at TourNatur. Shooting stars of the outdoor scene, such as the one-legged Kilimanjaro conqueror Tom Belz and whitewater professional Adrian Mattern, were enthusiastically celebrated by their fans. The German Alpine Association (Deutscher Alpenverein DAV) celebrated its 150th anniversary at TourNatur 2019 with the screening of a medley of the best mountain films of all time.
More than 45,000 hikers came to Hall 6 on the three days of the fair, Friday to Sunday, to gather information from 250 tourism providers, manufacturers, dealers and destinations from all over the world. Visitors were particularly impressed by the range of state-of-the-art equipment, such as individually adaptable hiking boots or technical accessories with high-quality LED torches and headlamps.
The advisory service was very well received. Many visitors were equipped with an individual "Fitting Pass", in which their personal measurements are recorded, and informed themselves in the short lectures about precisely fitting backpacks, jackets and trekking equipment.
The live stage inspired with various lectures of the destinations from Greece to hiking regions on the African continent, Portugal or the Balearic Islands. Pilgrim tours on the Spanish and Portuguese Way of St James are also popular, and visitor interest was correspondingly high.
The little ones also had fun on the TourNatur and went wild climbing in the climbing park or the high tower of the German Alpine Association (DAV). The rally for children was also informative and exciting, with 20 stations offering a varied program on the topics of forests, fauna, flora, rivers and oceans.
The partners of TourNatur were also very satisfied with this year's fair and were pleased about the increased interest of hiking and trekking friends in TourNatur. Managing Director Wolfram N. Diener sums up the very good result of TourNatur 2019: "The symbiosis of CARAVAN SALON on the one hand and TourNatur on the other hand is a very well functioning trade fair concept. Many caravaning enthusiasts like to be out in the great outdoors and visit campsites in designated hiking regions".
For Thorsten Hoyer, TourNatur 2019 was his second fair as editor-in-chief of the German Wandermagazin (hiking magazine). He is delighted with the enthusiasm people have for hiking and trekking: "A lot of positive feedback from visitors and exhibitors. The exhibitors are close to the visitors, therefore qualitative, individual and direct advice is possible. On the part of the exhibitors, many concrete offers are available or are still being worked out on site - the unbeatable advantage of a pure hiking and trekking fair like TourNatur. The German Wandermagazin (hiking magazine) is completely satisfied".
Ute Dicks from the German Hiking Association knows TourNatur from the very beginning and also draws a very good balance of this year's event: "TourNatur is a must for anyone who is interested in trends in hiking. Here you will find information about the best hiking destinations in Germany and abroad, about innovations in equipment and first-class events. But we also sensed that many outdoor enthusiasts are increasingly worried about nature. They see the consequences of climate change immediately after the second summer of drought in a row. In addition, in view of the boom in nature sports, more and more people are outdoors. In the specialized forum ´Wald - between longing goal and user pressure' it became clear that very many interests clash here. In order not to let conflicts develop at all, it is important to see not only the perspectives of tourism, but approximately also those of the forest owners and nature conservationists. This was clearly demonstrated by the Forum during the fair. TourNatur has once again proven that it is invaluable as a platform for the exchange of information on the subject of hiking and beyond".
TourNatur once again invites its fans to Düsseldorf from 4 to 6 September 2020.
