Kevelaer Marketing - Wallfahrtsstadt Kevelaer

What Kevelaer Marketing - Wallfahrtsstadt Kevelaer does

Kevelaer Marketing is the official municipal tourism marketing organization for the pilgrimage town and health resort of Kevelaer in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, operating as Wallfahrtsstadt Kevelaer under Mayor Dr. Dominik Pichler with a 17-employee team. Its core operational assets are the St. Jakob Brine Garden (featuring Germany's first accessible shell-shaped graduation tower, Kneipp facilities, barefoot path, and Bible garden), the Kevelaer.Thermal Brine mineral spring (exclusively licensed since 1996), the Inhalatorium opened at end of 2023, and the Concert and Stage House. The organization generates revenue through souvenir e-commerce, cultural event ticketing, and usage-based fees for brine inhalation and wellness services priced at €2-€3 per session, with distribution via its own webshop, physical tourist information offices, and bus tour operators.

The business serves a fragmented mix of visitor segments including Catholic pilgrims, health and wellness tourists seeking respiratory and Kneipp therapy, bus tour groups, cultural event attendees, and culinary tourists, with secondary mandates in economic development and skilled worker attraction for the town. Technology infrastructure is conventional municipal web: Google Analytics, Google Maps, Vimeo/YouTube embeds, ReadSpeaker text-to-speech for BITV 2.0 accessibility compliance, and a Social Wall social-media aggregation feed. Distribution channels include the kevelaer-marketing.de webshop shipping to Germany and the Netherlands, a tourist information office at the brine garden, and a cultural box office at the Concert and Stage House, with partnerships spanning the Kneipp Association Gelderland e.V., Athletic Area, Venga Restaurant, KRASS e.V., the Lower Rhine Museum, and the Moers-Niederrhein respiratory illness self-help group. The 2016 Brine and Pilgrim Park expansion was financed via the European Regional Development Fund's Experience.NRW program.

Name

Kevelaer Marketing - Wallfahrtsstadt Kevelaer

Legal name

Wallfahrtsstadt Kevelaer

Website

https://kevelaer-marketing.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kevelaer Marketing is the official municipal tourism marketing organization for the pilgrimage town and health resort of Kevelaer in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, operating the St. Jakob Brine Garden, thermal brine wellness services, cultural programming, and souvenir retail to serve pilgrims, wellness tourists, bus groups, and cultural visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Marketing & Destination Management

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAAAGAD

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

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access)

SECONDARYTHAAAGAF

Recreation & Activity Services (Hiking, Boating, Climbing, Fishing—Guided/Authorized)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access)

SECONDARYHSACAKAF

Tours, Activities & Experiences Booking

Home & Personal Services/Event & Personal Concierge Services/Travel & Itinerary Concierge Services

Keywords

• Pilgrimage tourism
• Wellness resort services
• Thermal brine therapy
• Cultural event programming
• Municipal tourism marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kevelaer

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Souvenir and merchandise sales: Online shop selling souvenirs, maps, promotional items (towels, scallops, bicycle bells, lanterns, books)
2. Event tickets and cultural programs: Ticket sales for cultural events, concerts, performances at the Concert and Stage House and other venues
3. Health and wellness services: Inhalatorium sessions for brine therapy - €3 adults, €2 children/teens, 10-session passes at €27/€18

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kevelaer Marketing is the municipal tourism marketing organization for the pilgrimage town and health resort of Kevelaer. It operates and promotes destination offerings including the St. Jakob Brine Garden with graduation tower and Kneipp facilities, thermal brine inhalation and drinking cures, an Inhalatorium for respiratory therapy, a cultural event calendar and Concert and Stage House venue, pilgrimage services, an in-person Tourist Information office, and a souvenir webshop. It directly serves individual visitors (pilgrims, wellness seekers, cultural tourists, bus tour groups) with both free information services and paid experiences, tickets, and merchandise.

Product overview

Kevelaer Marketing operates a platform of interconnected tourism, wellness, and cultural offerings centered around the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer. The core offering consists of the St. Jakob Brine Garden (Solegarten) with its unique graduation tower, Kneipp facilities, and health applications including the Inhalatorium and Kevelaer Airway respiratory path. Kevelaer.Thermal Brine serves as the mineral water foundation for drinking cures and inhalation therapies. Tourism services include a comprehensive Tourist Information Service, Event Calendar, and Pilgrimage Services. Cultural venues include the Concert and Stage Hall and organized Cultural Program with theater and concerts. The Souvenirs/Webshop provides retail merchandise of local products. These offerings are unified by a tourism marketing platform designed to promote the town as both a pilgrimage destination and health resort, with supporting services for bus travel, city vouchers, and culinary experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• St. Jakob Brine Garden Health park featuring a graduation tower, Kneipp facilities, a barefoot path, a Bible garden, breathing stations, and wellness amenities for visitors seeking relaxation and health treatments.
• Kevelaer.Thermal Brine Thermal brine mineral water from the Hüls meadow used for drinking cures, inhalation therapy, and health applications at the brine garden.
• Kneipp Treatments Water-based therapeutic treatments based on Sebastian Kneipp's five-element concept including arm baths, treading pools, and respiratory exercises, delivered in cooperation with Kneipp Association Gelderland e.V.
• Inhalatorium Atomized brine mist therapy facility for respiratory health, offering individual sessions (€3 adult, €2 child/teen), 10-session passes (€27 adult, €18 child/teen), and a twelve-station Kevelaer Airway respiratory path with QR-coded medical-expert exercise videos.
• Tourist Information Service In-person and online tourist information service providing contact details, visitor guides, flyers, brochures, and local recommendations for the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer via the Tourist Information office at Hüls 17.
• Event Calendar Online event calendar showcasing cultural events, concerts, guided tours, workshops, and public gatherings throughout Kevelaer.
• Concert and Stage House Performance venue at Bury-St.-Edmunds-Str. 5 for concerts, theater productions, cultural events, and private gatherings with associated gastronomy services and a Cultural Box Office.
• Cultural Program Year-round organized cultural programming including children's theater, concerts, shows, puppetry, and theatrical performances (e.g., the 2026/2027 program produced with KRASS e.V.).
• Souvenirs / Webshop Online retail store selling Kevelaer-themed souvenirs including towels (€16.90, 19% VAT), scallops (€3.90), bicycle bells (€13.90), bicycle saddle covers (€3.90), cycling maps (€8.95, 7% VAT), locality pins (€2.50), city guides (€4.90), lanterns (€5.90), and local food products; ships within Germany (10 working days) and the Netherlands (4 weeks).
• Pilgrimage Services Religious tourism services including pilgrimage guidance, special pilgrimage days, Way of the Cross, and church service information for the Marian pilgrimage town, including the pilgrimage season program.
• Bus Travel Information Information services for tour guides and bus operators covering arrival, departure, parking, and accommodation details for group travel to the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer.
• City Vouchers Gift vouchers usable at participating businesses in Kevelaer, providing a flexible gift option for visitors.
• Culinary Experiences Recipe ideas and culinary information featuring traditional Lower Rhine dishes including asparagus (March-June), kale, potatoes, and local honey cake specialties.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kneipp Association Gelderland e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for health and wellness programming, including cycling tours around Kevelaer (sometimes crossing into the Netherlands) and the three-week 'Breathing Space' (Atempause) program. Kneipp cycling tours led by Bernd Cox cover distances of 40+ kilometers.
• Athletic AreaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for functional sports training sessions (SportBox Workout) held at the St. Jakob brine garden venue.
• Venga RestaurantminorOthersRestaurant located directly at the St. Jakob brine garden, offering food service for visitors. Also rents out boule balls with deposit at the venue.
• KRASS e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural association involved in theater programming and cultural events, referenced for respite/breather cultural program 2026/2027.
• Lower Rhine Museum (Niederrheinisches Museum Kevelaer)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMuseum partner offering cultural events and children's workshops, referenced for art workshops and exhibitions.
• Moers-Niederrhein Self-help Group for Respiratory IllnessesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSelf-help group that holds meetings at the St. Jakob brine garden with respiratory therapist Beate Wargalla for exercises at the graduation tower.

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bad Kissingen Tourismus: Bad Kissingen is a renowned Bavarian health resort with historic thermal spa operations, wellness tourism infrastructure, and a municipal-style DMO — comparable as a German 'Bad' spa destination competing for wellness visitors.
• aachen tourismus: aachen tourismus is the DMO for Aachen, a historic pilgrimage city (Cathedral, Charlemagne shrine) operating visitor information, events, and city marketing — a structural DMO peer with pilgrimage heritage.
• Shrine of Fátima: Fátima is one of the most-visited Marian pilgrimage sites globally, with pilgrimage services, visitor information, and souvenir/event commerce — comparable to Kevelaer as a pilgrimage-focused destination operator.
• Altötting Tourismus: Altötting is Germany's other leading Catholic Marian pilgrimage destination, combining centuries-old pilgrimage heritage with ancillary cultural, retail, and tourist information services — directly parallel to Kevelaer's pilgrimage + ancillary model.
• Trier Tourismus: Trier Tourismus operates as a city DMO combining Roman heritage, the pilgrimage-linked Holy Robe relic, and cultural programming — closely mirroring Kevelaer's pilgrimage + cultural + wellness blend.
• Köln Tourismus: Köln Tourismus is the municipal DMO for Cologne, a major German pilgrimage city (Cathedral, Shrine of the Three Kings) — directly comparable as a city-level tourism marketing and visitor services organization.
• Office de Tourisme de Lourdes: Lourdes is the world's most prominent Marian pilgrimage destination, operating tourism information, accommodation, retail, and event services around its religious core — the closest international structural analogue to Kevelaer.
• Bad Reichenhall Tourismus: Bad Reichenhall is a Bavarian Alpine health resort with historic salt brine spa tradition and modern wellness tourism marketing — a comparable German 'Bad' destination with thermal/mineral wellness offerings.
• Bad Pyrmont Tourismus: Bad Pyrmont is a Lower Saxony health resort town with thermal mineral springs, Kneipp-style wellness offerings, and tourism marketing — a direct German parallel to Kevelaer's brine + wellness positioning.

Regional players

• Niederrhein Tourismus GmbH: Niederrhein Tourismus is the regional DMO for the same Lower Rhine region where Kevelaer sits — a structurally identical tourism marketing organization serving an overlapping geographic catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@meinkevelaer-wallfahrtssta1592
• Facebookfacebook.com/marketing.kevelaer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wallfahrtsstadt-kevelaer-tourismus-kultur-wirtschaftsf%C3%B6rderung
• Instagraminstagram.com/mein.kevelaer
• Pinterestpinterest.de/kevelaertourismus
• TikToktiktok.com/@mein.kevelaer

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Kevelaer Marketing - Wallfahrtsstadt Kevelaer