Pfalz.de

What Pfalz.de does

Pfalz.de is the official tourism portal for the Pfalz (Palatinate) region in southwestern Germany, operated by Pfalz Touristik e.V., a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. The platform functions as a destination marketing organization (DMO) covering four vacation regions: Pfälzerwald, Deutsche Weinstraße, Rheinebene, and Pfälzer Bergland & Donnersberg. Its core digital products include the pfalz.de information and booking portal, the Rheinland-Pfalz Tourenplaner mobile app with offline GPS routing for hiking and cycling, the Pfalz.Wein mobile app, and 360° panoramic virtual tours at 360.pfalz.de. A central feature is the Pfalzcard guest card program, distributed free to overnight guests at approximately 130 partner accommodations, bundling free public transport via the VRN network with free entry to 130+ leisure attractions.

The platform monetizes primarily through municipal tourism taxes (Kurtaxe/Übernachtungssteuer) collected from overnight stays across the region, supplemented by partnership contributions from accommodation providers, regional DMOs, the wine marketing association Pfalzwein e.V., and the VRN transport authority. Pricing for individual tourism services (hotels, experiences, dining) is set by partner providers and routed through the deskline booking system; the Pfalzcard itself is free to guests as a value-add driving overnight stays. The organization's marketing approach is event-driven and multi-channel, combining the website, mobile apps, social media (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), email newsletters, 360° virtual content, press relations, and co-marketing with regional tourism partners.

Pfalz.de serves five primary customer segments: hikers and nature enthusiasts, mountain bikers and cyclists, wine tourists, families, and wellness/culinary travelers. It targets both domestic and international visitors interested in the region's distinctive offerings: 23,800 hectares of vineyards (including the world's largest Riesling area at 5,800 hectares), 1,000+ wine estates, 200+ annual wine festivals, 1,300+ km of premium hiking trails (Wandermenü Pfalz), 900 km of mountain bike routes, and UNESCO-recognized Pfälzer Hütten culture. The organization employs 11-50 staff and holds no venture capital or external investor backing, operating as a publicly funded regional promotion body.

Name

Pfalz.de

Legal name

Pfalz Touristik e.V.

Website

https://pfalz.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pfalz.de is the official destination marketing portal for Germany's Pfalz region, operated by the non-profit Pfalz Touristik e.V. It provides tourism information, accommodation booking, mobile apps, and the Pfalzcard guest card program for hikers, cyclists, wine tourists, families, and wellness travelers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Tourism Marketing

NAICS

Travel Agencies (56151)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Destination & Local Services Marketplaces (Transfers, Guides, City Passes) (THALAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Culinary & Wine Travel Agencies (THAKAFAH), Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

Keywords

• Destination tourism marketing
• Regional tourism portal
• Wine tourism services
• Hiking trail networks
• Guest card programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Neustadt An Der Weinstraße

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tourism Tax from Overnight Stays: Municipal tourism tax collected from overnight stays at accommodations throughout the Pfalz region, which funds regional tourism promotion and infrastructure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pfalz.de is the official tourism portal for the Pfalz (Palatinate) region in southwestern Germany, operated by the non-profit association Pfalz Touristik e.V. The platform aggregates destination information, accommodation booking, event calendars, hiking and cycling trail guides, and wine tourism content across four vacation regions. It also distributes the Pfalzcard guest card program providing free public transport and attraction access through partner accommodations.

Product overview

Pfalz.de is the official tourism portal for the Pfalz (Palatinate) region in southwestern Germany, operated by Pfalz Touristik e.V. and Pfalzwein/Pfalz.Marketing. The platform operates as a comprehensive destination marketing and booking platform rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include the Pfalz.de Tourism Portal website, the Rheinland-Pfalz Tourenplaner mobile app, and the Pfalzcard guest loyalty program. The ecosystem also features the Wandermenü Pfalz hiking trail network, Mountainbikepark Pfälzerwald, and the Pfalz.Wein App. Key services include accommodation booking (366 properties), wine tourism experiences, CO₂-rechner travel calculator, and 360° virtual panoramas. The platform serves as an information aggregator for regional tourism rather than a traditional SaaS product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pfalzcard: Guest card providing free public transport in the VRN network and free entry to over 130 leisure attractions in the Pfalz region.
• Pfalzclub
• Pfalzwein / Pfalz.Marketing

Products and services

• Pfalz.de Tourism Portal

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered tier 2 and tier 1.

• Wine in Moderation - Art de Vivretier 2Technology or IntegrationInternational wine association promoting responsible wine consumption and sustainable wine production practices. Pfalz participates in the responsible drinking initiative as part of their wine marketing efforts.
• Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN)tier 1GTM or Marketing PartnerRegional public transportation network covering bus and rail services. The Pfalzcard serves as a free travel ticket within the VRN network, enabling visitors to access destinations without private vehicles.
• Bezirksverband Pfalztier 2GTM or Marketing PartnerRegional administrative district organization supporting Pfalz regional development and cultural initiatives, including tourism promotion.
• Pfalzwein e.V.tier 1GTM or Marketing PartnerWine marketing association for the Pfalz wine region, responsible for promoting Pfalz wines nationally and internationally, organizing wine events, and supporting wine tourism.
• Donnersberg Touristik Verband e.V.tier 2GTM or Marketing PartnerRegional tourism organization covering the Donnersberg area in the northern Pfalz, promoting hiking, cycling, and cultural attractions in the Pfälzer Bergland.
• Südpfalz Tourismus Landkreis Germersheimtier 2GTM or Marketing PartnerTourism organization for the Germersheim district in southern Pfalz, promoting attractions including the Bienwald forest area and river landscapes.
• Visit Speyertier 2GTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial tourism portal for Speyer, one of the Pfalz's major cities featuring UNESCO World Heritage sites including the Speyer Cathedral, attracting cultural tourists to the region.
• Südpfalz-Tourismus Rülzheimtier 2GTM or Marketing PartnerLocal tourism organization promoting attractions in and around Rülzheim, part of the southern Pfalz region near the Rhine.
• Urlaubsregion Freinsheimtier 2GTM or Marketing PartnerVacation region organization covering the Freinsheim area, known for wine villages and wellness offerings along the German Wine Route.
• Pfälzer Berglandtier 2GTM or Marketing PartnerTourism platform for the Pfälzer Bergland region, covering the upland area with hiking opportunities and rural experiences.
• Pfalzcard Partner Accommodationstier 1GTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork of approximately 130 accommodations (hotels, vacation apartments, pensions, youth hostels) participating in the Pfalzcard program, offering free guest card with transport and attraction benefits to overnight guests.
• Die Junge Pfalztier 2GTM or Marketing PartnerInitiative representing young winemakers and emerging wine projects in the Pfalz, promoting innovative wine styles and新一代 winemakers to visitors.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Visit Flanders: Regional tourism board for Flanders (Belgium); comparable destination-marketing structure, content portal and partner ecosystem, but serving a different geography than Pfalz.
• Napa Valley Vintners: Wine-region trade association marketing Napa Valley as a tourism destination; comparable wine-tourism content and partner-accommodation network, but U.S.-based and not a direct competitor for European visitors.

Broad incumbents

• Tirol Werbung: State-level tourism board for Tirol in Austria; broader portfolio than Pfalz.de but operates the same destination-marketing playbook (hiking, cycling, regional guest cards, content portal) at a larger scale.
• Swiss Tourism: National tourism organization for Switzerland; competes with Pfalz for hiking, cycling, and nature-based tourism demand from DACH-region visitors and runs guest-card-style offerings at a much larger scale.
• Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (DZT): National tourism board for Germany; provides an umbrella layer above Pfalz.de and other regional DMOs and competes for international marketing attention and budget.

Direct peers

• Schwarzwald Tourismus: Regional DMO for Germany's Black Forest, also an eingetragener Verein running a destination portal, hiking/cycling content, guest-card programs and accommodation booking — directly comparable structure and product mix to Pfalz.de.
• Tourismus Franken: Regional tourism marketing body for Franconia (Franken), another major German wine region with hiking and cultural content managed via a destination portal and partner network similar to Pfalz.de.
• Allgäu Tourismus: Regional DMO for the Allgäu region in southern Germany; comparable non-profit destination-marketing model with hiking, cycling, family travel content and partner-based guest-card benefits.
• Mosel Touristik: Official DMO for the Mosel wine region, combining wine-tourism marketing with hiking, cycling, and guest-card-style benefits; operates under a similar regional non-profit model with strong wine-tourism overlap to Pfalz.
• Rheingau-Taunus Kultur und Tourismus: Regional tourism association for the Rheingau wine region; comparable scale, German regional DMO structure, and reliance on wine-tourism and outdoor content with a guest card.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PfalzVideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/Die.Pfalz
• Instagraminstagram.com/zumwohldiepfalz
• Xx.com/pfalz_de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pfalztouristik

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Pfalz.de