Deutsche Bundesgartenschau-Gesellschaft becomes a new member of the GNTB

Frankfurt am Main, 1 October 2026 – Deutsche Bundesgartenschau-Gesellschaft mbH (DBG) becomes a member of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) with effect from the 1st of October 2026. With this move, both organisations are stepping up their cooperation to further enhance the international visibility of the Federal Horticultural Shows (BUGA) and International Garden Exhibitions (IGA), and to strengthen Germany’s position as an attractive destination for visitors interested in nature, culture and sustainably-oriented travel.

The GNTB’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the company’s application for membership. The GNTB now has a total of 66 members, including the tourism marketing organisations of the 16 federal states, companies from the tourism industry, as well as public bodies, federations and marketing associations. In addition, various sponsors support the GNTB’s global sales and marketing network.

Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the GNTB, explains: “International garden exhibitions and Federal Garden Shows are exceptionally attractive major events that stand not only for horticultural excellence, but also for the sustainability of regions, innovative urban development and the interconnection of nature, culture and quality of life. As a vivid expression of our slogan ‘Germany Simply Inspiring’, they enrich Germany’s tourism offering as a multifaceted travel destination. In this way, we continually provide regular visitors with new reasons to travel, tap into new target groups and generate additional value for the tourism sector.”

Dr Achim Schloemer, Managing Director of the DBG, goes on to say: “Membership of the GNTB opens up new opportunities for us to market the tourism potential of the garden shows abroad as well. Experience from past events shows that there is still considerable potential for growth, particularly amongst international visitors. Through the GNTB’s international network, we intend to position these unique projects even more strongly abroad in future and inspire new target groups to visit Germany.”

The IGA Ruhrgebiet 2027 is already part of the GNTB’s international marketing activities. For instance, the event was prominently featured at the GTM 2026 in Oberhausen. Worldwide, 22 GNTB offices are promoting the IGA through content on www.germany.travel, newsletter articles and press relations. Furthermore, based on a cooperation agreement with IGA 2027 Ruhrgebiet gGmbH, media partnerships, PR activities such as press conferences and PR events, special newsletters, target-group-specific cross-media campaigns featuring social media posts, and OTC partnerships are being implemented in the Netherlands and Belgium. Finally, the GNTB-KI travel influencer ‘Emma’ will tour the IGA highlights and cities to inspire her followers in the Netherlands to visit the IGA.

Other upcoming events include the BUGA Upper Middle Rhine Valley 2029, the BUGA Wuppertal 2031, the BUGA Dresden 2033 and the BUGA Dessau-Roßlau 2035. The next IGA, in 2037, will showcase the regeneration of the Garzweiler opencast mining landscape.

About Deutsche Bundesgartenschau-Gesellschaft mbH:

Since 1993, the DBG has been coordinating the planning and organisation of Federal Horticultural Shows and International Garden Exhibitions in Germany. These events bring together horticulture, landscape architecture, urban development and tourism, and make an important contribution to the sustainable development of towns and regions. The creation of new greenery and recreational spaces, measures to adapt to climate change and the promotion of biodiversity generate long-term benefits for the local population and visitors alike.