Press Release

Berlin, June 29, 2022

By train to rural tourist regions - the mFund project "FerienFürsKlima" ends

Through networked data, the Berlin startup naturtrip GmbH makes climate-friendly travel and on-site mobility by train, bus & bike much easier.

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The "FerienFürsKlima" project ended on June 30, 2022. It was funded by the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) as part of the mFUND innovation initiative and received a total of 94,139 euros over a period of twelve months. The project was implemented by the Berlin-based startup NaturTrip GmbH, which sees itself as a missing link between the worlds of public transport and tourism and data-driven solutions for climate-friendly mobility around the topic of leisure (www.naturtrip.travel). Planning vacations by train should become much easier and thus help to serve the growing demand for a climate-friendly way of traveling.

5 percent take their vacations by train, 82 percent would perhaps

The largest carbon footprint for vacation trips is caused by travel and on-site mobility by car. Nevertheless, less than five percent of vacation trips to rural vacation regions are currently made in a climate-friendly manner by rail. However, according to a study by the Deutsches Wirtschaftswissenschaftliches Institut für Fremdenverkehr e.V. (German Institute of Economic Research for Tourism), 82 percent of Germans can at least imagine taking the train on vacation. Hermann Weiß, Co-Founder of NaturTrip: "Many people want to live more sustainably. But the hurdles to going on vacation without a car are still very high."

What exactly stops people from traveling by train?

An initial goal of the project was to better understand the inhibiting factors for vacation travel by rail. How do transfers, price, luggage or local mobility requirements influence the choice of mode of transport? What role does the last mile play? Can better information be used to lower the barriers to switching to rail? These questions were investigated with the help of interviews and testing rounds using a so-called click dummy.

Tool that bundles scattered data sets into one system

Based on the findings, the prototype of a new, simple planning tool was developed. For this purpose, for example, data for timetables, accommodations, excursion destinations and hikes were linked locally, which until now could only be found in separate systems. Hermann Weiß: "Until now, users had to go to great lengths to combine this data themselves when planning a trip."

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Concrete results during the project

• A total of ten click dummy versions were created, which were improved again and again. After each version, a new test was carried out with around five to seven test persons.there were successful expert discussions on business models and communication with decision-makers from the tourism industry. There is a willingness to pay for the product here.A new feature initially shows all vacation destinations with a train station in the selected region and not just those that are easy to reach from the user's respective starting station.Good content with photos and texts for on-site excursions is very important for users. This feature will be available first in Lower Saxony in the future, as the Lower Saxony Hub offers optimal conditions for this.Almost all of the testers involved said they would like to use such a vacation planner when it became available.

Tourism benefits: Fewer cars and new target groups

Tourism companies can use the new tool to communicate in a new way and, for example, target young people from urban areas who are already traveling multimodally and hardly ever use their cars. Of course, other target groups can also benefit from the new possibilities of the application and actively contribute to reducing their carbon footprint around the most beautiful time of the year.

Business model for time after funding: vacation booking and paid content

The tool is to be the nucleus of a portal that will make it easy to plan rail vacations in rural regions. Andreas Boos, Co-Founder NaturTrip: "In the medium term, we want to earn money with our product on rail tickets and accommodation." Paid content from destinations and outfitters for blog and newsletter is planned. Andreas Boos: "We are assuming a large market because of Corona and the climate crisis that is increasingly catching up with us. Right now, many people are looking for regional and climate-friendly vacation alternatives."

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About the mFUND of the BMDV

As part of the mFUND research initiative, the BMDV has been funding data-based research and development projects as seed capital for the mobility of the future since 2016. Project funding is supplemented by active professional networking between stakeholders from politics, business, administration and research and by making open data available on the BMDV's data portals. For more information, visit www.mfund.de.

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‍Inquiries:

Hermann Weiß

+49 (0) 170 46 00295

hermann.weiss@naturtrip.org ‍

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naturtrip GmbH‍

Norwegerstr. 3

10439 Berlin

‍www.naturtrip.travel ‍

https://twitter.com/naturtrip‍

https://www.facebook.com/naturtrip.org