A tourist information terminal including a shelter and brochure wall was opened at the Westerwald-Park/Gierenderhöhe exit of the A3 freeway in Neuwied. Hiking and cycling trails, excursion destinations, events, hotels, vacation apartments, campsites and restaurants in the region can be accessed via the terminal. The target group is primarily potential and existing tourists, but also locals. The aim is to make drivers of electric cars aware of a vacation in the region. They have to wait up to 45 minutes in the Westerwaldpark for charging. The Tesla station is the largest in Europe with 40 charging points, plus a further 16 Allego charging stations.
At the end of 2020, the five municipalities of Rengsdorf-Waldbreitbach, Asbach, Puderbach, Dierdorf and Altenkirchen-Flammersfeld launched a TSC process "Northwestern Westerwald" (Tourism Service Center). The aim was to professionalize tourism work and strengthen visibility through a joint structure. The Neuwied district economic development agency was also involved in the process as a coordinating body. In the end, there was no permanent merger, but there were many possible ideas for cooperation in individual projects that strengthen the sense of togetherness and mutual trust between the municipalities.
District Administrator Achim Hallerbach is delighted with the attractive presentation of the new information terminal, expressly welcomes this step towards joint tourism marketing and sees it as a good opportunity to launch further joint tourism projects and activities between the five participating municipalities in the future. "Today it is more necessary than ever to seek and form meaningful collaborations and to utilize the synergy effects that result. We have a lot to offer in terms of tourism and this requires powerful marketing units and structures that are adapted to the requirements of today's world," explained the head of the district.
The project was led by the Rengsdorf-Waldbreitbach association municipality. Mayor Hans-Werner Breithausen therefore thanked not only the partners and contractors involved, but also his team at the opening ceremony. "From the funding applications, construction planning and tendering to the execution and filling with content, it was a long journey that was more than worth it with today's opening," said Breithausen. 75% of the total project costs of around €60,000 were funded by the EU's LEADER program.
