Insel Rügen

What Insel Rügen does

Tourismusverband Rügen e.V. (operating as Inser Rügen / "inselruegen") is the official non-profit destination marketing organization (DMO) for Germany's largest island, founded on September 12, 1990, and registered in Stralsund. The organization operates as a member-owned eingetragener Verein with a wholly-owned operating subsidiary, Baltic Project GmbH (acquired 2015), based at Markt 25, Bergen auf Rügen, with 11-50 employees. It serves as the island's central tourism authority, representing member accommodation providers, restaurants, campsites, and individual stakeholders to public administration.

The organization's core product is the official tourism portal www.ruegen.de, which aggregates 380+ accommodation options, event listings, and travel information for the island. The underlying technology stack is built on DS Destination Solutions for booking channel management, which distributes member properties across more than 20 third-party platforms (HRS Holidays, Booking.com, HomeAway, casamundo, hometogo, holidu, and others). Supporting products include a print and digital Rügenkatalog (annual catalog), the Inselexperten phone hotline, and a multi-channel social media presence. Analytics run on Google Analytics, newsletters via CleverReach, and consent management via ConsentManager.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: tiered membership fees (single members €153/year, accommodation businesses €51-€2,000/year based on bed count, restaurants €2/seat up to €767/year, campsites €0.50/pitch), a 15% commission on gross booking value intermediated through Baltic Project GmbH, and catalog advertising (with 30% print and 10% online discounts for members). The customer base is B2B2C — member tourism businesses on the supply side, and end consumers (families, nature enthusiasts, wellness seekers, active vacationers, culture tourists) on the demand side, with the asset base anchored by UNESCO World Heritage sites and 7+ million annual overnight stays at an average stay length of 4.8 days.

Name

Insel Rügen

Legal name

Tourismusverband Rügen e. V.

Website

https://ruegen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tourismusverband Rügen e.V. (Insel Rügen) is the official non-profit destination marketing organization for Germany's largest island, operating the ruegen.de portal, booking platform, and Rügenkatalog to connect tourists with 380+ accommodations and island experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing & Tourism Services

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Campground & Overnight Facilities Operations (Campsites, Cabins, Backcountry Huts) (THAAAGAE), Culture, Heritage & Arts Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAK), Accessibility & Inclusion Services (ADA Access, Adaptive Programs, Multilingual Support) (THAAAGAJ)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Tourism booking platform
• Accommodation reservation
• Island tourism portal
• Vacation planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bergen Auf Rügen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tourismusverband Rügen e.V. (Insel Rügen) is the official destination marketing organization for Germany's largest island, Rügen. The association operates the ruegen.de tourism portal, provides accommodation booking through its Online-Buchbarkeit system, publishes the annual Rügenkatalog catalog, and runs the Inselexperten hotline service — collectively serving more than 7 million overnight stays per year across 380+ listed accommodations. Its wholly-owned subsidiary Baltic Project GmbH handles operational execution including booking distribution to 20+ third-party portals and project implementation for the parent association.

Product overview

Insel Rügen operates as a destination marketing and booking platform for Germany's largest island. The core offering consists of the ruegen.de digital portal, which combines accommodation search and booking, event information, and travel planning services. The Baltic Project GmbH subsidiary operates the Online-Buchbarkeit booking system, which uses DS Destination Solutions to connect accommodation providers with over 20 third-party booking channels while maintaining centralized data management. The Rügenkatalog provides a complementary print and digital catalog for island accommodations and leisure offerings. The Inselexperten hotline service provides personalized consultation for guests. The Tourismusverband Rügen e.V. serves as the parent organization providing strategic direction, membership services, and destination development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insel Rügen Online Portal (www.ruegen.de) The official tourism portal of Tourismusverband Rügen e.V., serving as Germany's largest island's primary digital hub for vacation planning, aggregating accommodation bookings, event listings, travel information, and island highlights for leisure travelers.
• Online-Buchbarkeit (Online Booking System) A booking distribution service operated by Baltic Project GmbH that enables accommodation providers (hotels, ferienwohnungen, ferienhäuser) to list properties across multiple online booking channels. Properties appear on ruegen.de search results and are automatically synced to partner portals including HRS Holidays, Booking.com, and over 20 other vacation rental platforms. Baltic Project GmbH receives 15% commission on gross booking value for intermediation.
• Rügenkatalog (Rügen Catalog) The island's sole comprehensive printed and digital catalog featuring accommodation providers and leisure offerings, published annually. Members of Tourismusverband Rügen e.V. receive a 30% discount on print advertisements and 10% off online listings. The catalog is available in print and as a digital flipbook.
• Inselexperten (Island Experts Hotline) A telephone and online consultation service operated by Tourismusverband Rügen e.V. and Baltic Project GmbH. Staff provide personalized accommodation recommendations and booking assistance, available Monday to Thursday from 09:00 to 12:00 at +49 3838 8077-80, handling guest inquiries and managing the island's central booking hotline.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sylt Marketing GmbH: DMO for the German North Sea island of Sylt, running a comparable tourism portal, accommodation search and booking, printed catalog, and member services targeting a similar premium island tourism audience.
• Helgoland Tourismus-Service: DMO for the North Sea island of Helgoland, operating a comparable model of destination portal, accommodation services, and visitor information for a German island destination.
• Tourismus-Service Fehmarn: Official tourism organization for the German Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn, providing destination marketing, accommodation booking, event listings, and visitor information services for a similarly structured island DMO.
• Usedom Tourismus GmbH: Official destination marketing organization for the German Baltic Sea island of Usedom, operating an analogous tourism portal, accommodation booking system, member-based structure, and visitor information services for a competing German island destination.

Broad incumbents

• Booking.com: Global online travel agency that distributes Insel Rügen member properties as a key third-party channel via DS Destination Solutions integration; a broad incumbent whose commission and ranking decisions materially affect Baltic Project GmbH's intermediation economics.
• Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT): National tourism board for Germany, promoting the country internationally; a much larger incumbent that German island DMOs like Rügen partner with for international inbound demand.
• HRS Holidays: Hotel booking platform that distributes Rügen member properties as a premium channel partner through DS Destination Solutions; comparable as a distribution intermediary for German accommodation supply.
• Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH: Regional tourism marketing organization for the state of Brandenburg, operating a destination portal with accommodation search, event listings, and booking functionality at a broader regional scale.

Regional players

• Tourismusverband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V. State-level tourism association covering the federal state where Rügen is located, including coastal and island destinations; broader geographically than Rügen but overlapping on accommodation and destination marketing categories.
• Ostsee-Holstein-Tourismus e.V. Regional DMO for the Schleswig-Holstein Baltic Sea coast, covering overlapping beach, nature, and wellness tourism segments in an adjacent geography that competes for some of the same German coastal traveler demand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/inselruegen
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/wirsindinsel
• Facebookfacebook.com/ruegen.de
• Instagraminstagram.com/wirsindinsel
• Pinterestpinterest.com/inselruegen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Insel Rügen