Client: Oberhof
Year: 2021

Oberhof is located at an altitude of around 815 meters in the heart of the Thuringian Forest. Its location by the Rennsteig and its status as an Olympic training center and venue for World Cups and World Championships in biathlon and luge have made Oberhof famous beyond the borders of Thuringia and Germany.

Its tourism intensity of around 260,000 (overnight stays per 1,000 inhabitants) is by far the highest in all of Thuringia and one of the highest in Germany. Tourism is therefore of outstanding importance as an economic factor. However, Oberhof has not been able to benefit from the growth in demand in the surrounding area recently and has instead lost considerable market share with stagnating overnight stays since the beginning of the millennium.

However, Oberhof holds a multitude of chances, especially due to its good accessibility. The construction of a luxurious family hotel as well as further plans regarding accommodation and infrastructure, the boom of all nature sports as well as the world championships in biathlon and luge in 2023 can provide additional momentum in the near future.

Therefore, the update of the Tourism Strategy was also intended to stabilize this change in momentum, which has now been initiated. Taking into account the upcoming changes in offers as well as higher-level tourism policy objectives and tourism strategies, Montenius Consult developed concrete solutions for this purpose.

Oberhof is to be established as an easily accessible and nature-oriented destination with high-quality and sustainable offerings for active and nature experiences for all age groups, with and without snow. Oberhof wants to be a beacon in winter sports, a showcase region for the German low mountain ranges and an attractive place to live and work. The Tourism Strategy 2030 sets the guidelines for such a development and defines measures in the fields of infrastructure, mobility, townscape, hotels and restaurants, offers and events as well as marketing.