BTE Tourism

What BTE Tourism does

BTE Tourismus- und Regionalberatung is a German tourism and regional development consulting firm founded in 1989 in Hannover as Büro für Tourismus- und Erholungsplanung and rebranded to its current name as the practice expanded beyond tourism planning into broader regional consulting. The firm is structured as a Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB, managed by Dr. Alexander Schuler and Mathias Behrens-Egge, with 22 employees operating from five German offices (Hannover HQ, Berlin, Behringen bei Eisenach, Kempten, Mainz) plus Luxembourg coverage. It has completed more than 2,000 projects over 35+ years for destinations, DMOs, nature parks, national parks, biosphere reserves, municipalities, state ministries, and tourism associations.

BTE delivers project-based consulting across five service lines: Destination Development (strategy, sustainability, digitalization, branding), Active and Nature Tourism (hiking, cycling, water and equestrian routes), Protected Areas and Regional Development (nature park plans, visitor management), Tourism Infrastructure (feasibility, visitor centers), and supporting services including Moderation/Coaching and proprietary Market Research. Its proprietary research asset, the DMO DigitalMonitor, is an annual benchmark of DMO digitalization maturity in Germany, supported by in-house household surveys and expert interviews that produce original data for client recommendations. The firm also co-founded Digitize the Planet e.V. in 2020, an association standardizing open data for protected-area recreational use rules, in which BTE holds board positions.

Revenue is generated exclusively through professional services engagements sold directly to public-sector and nonprofit clients, primarily through competitive tenders and project inquiries, with no disclosed pricing model, no recurring subscription, and no external investors. Customer concentration is spread across dozens of named DMOs, municipalities, state ministries, and associations, and the firm is independently owned by its two managing partners with no parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A activity on record.

Name

BTE Tourism

Legal name

BTE – Tourismus- und Regionalberatung Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB

Website

https://bte-tourismus.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BTE Tourismus- und Regionalberatung is a German tourism and regional consulting firm with 22 employees across five offices, delivering strategy, digitalization, sustainability, and active-nature tourism advisory services to DMOs, nature parks, municipalities, and state ministries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Consulting Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access) (THAAAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD), Full-Service Destination Management (Ground Handling & Onsite Operations) (THAHADAA)

Keywords

• Tourism consulting services
• Destination development
• Regional development advisory
• Active nature tourism
• Protected area consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tourism and Regional Consulting Services: Project-based consulting engagements covering destination development, active and nature tourism, protected areas, tourism infrastructure, moderation, coaching, market research and analysis. Services range from comprehensive strategic planning to specific consultancy assignments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BTE provides strategic tourism and regional consulting services to destinations, DMOs, nature parks, municipalities, and tourism organizations across Germany. The firm delivers end-to-end advisory from analysis and market research through strategy development, moderation, coaching, and implementation support, with special focus on active/nature tourism and protected areas.

Product overview

BTE Tourismus- und Regionalberatung is a tourism and regional consulting firm established in 1989, offering advisory services from strategy to implementation. The portfolio consists of five core consulting service lines: Destinationsentwicklung (destination development with tourism concepts, sustainability, digitalization, and organizational consulting), Aktiv- und Naturtourismus (active/nature tourism covering hiking, cycling, water sports), Schutzgebiete & Regionalentwicklung (protected area management), Touristische Infrastruktur (infrastructure planning), and supporting services including Moderation/Coaching and Marktforschung (market research). Research publications include the DMO DigitalMonitor, hiking tourism studies, and themed routes guides. The company has completed over 2,000 projects with 22 employees across 5 German offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Destinationsentwicklung (Destination Development)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 completed projects across Germany in 35+ years of operation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Digitize the Planet e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2020BTE was co-initiator and founding member of Digitize the Planet e.V. in 2020. The association focuses on digitalizing rules for nature use, making them available as open data. Mathias Behrens-Egge serves as chairman of the board. The partnership enables BTE to offer first-hand expertise on protected areas and permitted recreational uses.
• Hunsrück-Nahe Tourismus GmbHmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTE supported the merger of Hunsrück Touristik and Naheland-Touristik into the new Hunsrück-Nahe Tourismus GmbH through DMO change consulting and organizational development.
• Rhön GmbHmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTE collaborated on developing a cross-state competitive DMO from state-based, smaller-scale structures in the Rhön region.
• Tourismusverband Sächsische Schweiz e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTE has worked with the destination over years on strengthening and developing the competitive DMO, focusing on financing approaches, network partnerships, and continuous development.
• OutdooractivecoreTechnology or IntegrationThrough the Digitize the Planet association, BTE collaborates with Outdooractive, which provides 1% of pro/pro+ revenues as funding for the association.
• Nationale Naturlandschaften e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTE collaborates with this association of German national parks, nature parks, and biosphere reserves through Digitize the Planet e.V. Dr. Neele Larondelle serves on the board.
• Deutscher Tourismusverband e.V. (DTV)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTE has conducted multiple studies and projects for DTV including sustainability surveys, criteria development for sustainable destinations, and the Bundeswettbewerb Nachhaltige Tourismusregionen.
• VisitBerlinmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTE collaborated with visitBerlin on developing a climate roadmap for Berlin tourism and MICE industry.
• Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH (TMB)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTE supported the development of a knowledge paper and eight sector-specific guides plus climate check for climate adaptation in Brandenburg tourism.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Tourismuszukunft: Tourismuszukunft is a smaller, German-speaking DMO marketing and digitalization consulting firm. Comparable to BTE's DMO DigitalMonitor and digital transformation work, but narrower in geographic and protected-area scope.

Direct peers

• PROJECT M: PROJECT M is a Hamburg-based tourism and destination consulting firm that serves German DMOs with strategy, market research, and brand development. Directly comparable to BTE in serving German-speaking destinations on strategy and brand consulting.
• dwif: dwif is a Berlin-based tourism and economics consulting and research firm providing market analysis and destination studies for German DMOs. Closely comparable to BTE's market research and DMO advisory offerings.
• Kohl & Partner: Kohl & Partner is an Innsbruck-based tourism destination management consultancy operating across the DACH region. Directly comparable to BTE on destination development, organizational consulting, and DMO change mandates.
• IPK International: IPK International is a Germany-based travel and tourism research consultancy producing European travel-demand intelligence. Overlaps with BTE's market research and active-tourism insight capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: McKinsey's Travel & Hospitality Practice serves global DMOs, tourism boards, and lodging majors. Significantly broader than BTE but overlaps on top-tier destination strategy engagements.
• KPMG: KPMG's Travel, Leisure and Hospitality practice serves European DMO and tourism clients on strategy, ESG, and transformation. A broad incumbent peer for tier-1 destination consulting mandates that compete for BTE's larger projects.
• Boston Consulting Group: BCG operates a hospitality and tourism practice serving destinations and travel companies globally. Overlaps with BTE on strategic transformation mandates but with generalist methodology rather than German protected-area specialization.
• Roland Berger: Roland Berger is a German-headquartered global strategy consultancy with a hospitality and travel practice. Competes with BTE on larger destination-transformation mandates but with a much broader portfolio of services and global reach.

Others

• Outdooractive: Outdooractive is a digital platform for hiking, cycling, and outdoor activity content and a Digitize the Planet e.V. partner. Not a consulting peer, but an ecosystem participant connected to BTE through the association's open-data standards work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BTE.Tourismus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bte-tourismus--und-regionalberatung

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BTE Tourism