GERMANY, Deggendorf: Enhance Sustainable Tourism with Crowdsourced Data.

The Bavarian Forest National Park (Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald), Germany’s first national park, is a cornerstone of wilderness conservation and eco-tourism. With its dense woodlands, undisturbed ecosystems, and well-maintained trails, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. However, this popularity comes at an ecological cost—trail erosion, wildlife disturbances, litter, and increased emissions from transport and infrastructure strain the park's environment.

At the same time, an abundance of crowdsourced data is being generated by visitors through GPS-enabled hiking apps, social media posts, photo-sharing platforms, participatory science initiatives, and review sites. Despite its potential, this data remains underutilized in informing sustainable tourism strategies. Harnessing these digital footprints could offer novel ways to monitor visitor patterns, promote responsible behavior, and support data-driven decision-making for park management.

Challenge: Develop solutions that utilize crowdsourced data to enhance the sustainability of tourism in the Bavarian Forest National Park—balancing visitor experience with the preservation of ecological integrity.