REMET and Smart Region MYK10 open the first “digital hike” in the district

Dream trail app and QR codes offer a whole new dimension of hiking pleasure on the “Sayner Aussichten” dream trail

The dream trails and dream paths in the Rhine-Moselle-Eifel region are rightly among the most popular hiking and walking trails in the district of Mayen-Koblenz and beyond. To further increase this appeal, Rhein-Mosel-Eifel-Touristik (REMET), together with the smart region MYK10 and the Sayn Cultural Park, has launched the first digital hike in MYK on the “Sayner Aussichten” dream trail in Bendorf-Sayn, which takes hikers and tourists on an entertaining journey into the historic past of Sayn with the help of video and audio contributions. At the opening in the Schmetterling garden, District Administrator Dr. Alexander Saftig and First District Councillor Pascal Badziong, as well as REMET Deputy Managing Director Michael Schwippert and Sonja Gröntgen, Head of the “Smart Region MYK10” project in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, were delighted with the great interest in the project and the large number of guests, including the Mayor of Bendorf, Christoph Mohr, and the Prince and Princess Alexander and Gabriela zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn.

“The premium hiking trails in our district are widely known for their breathtaking beauty, their diversity and their attractive routes. But with the introduction of this digital hiking trail in Sayn, we are now offering a whole new dimension of hiking enjoyment,” says District Administrator Dr. Alexander Saftig. “At a time when digitalization is increasingly finding its way into our everyday lives, it’s fantastic to see how we can use this innovation to enrich and complement traditional hiking,” adds the head of the district, inviting all hiking enthusiasts to experience this new form of hiking for themselves and discover the beauty of the Mayen-Koblenz district in a whole new way.

The idea behind the digital hike is as ingenious as it is simple: information on local history and sights in Bendorf-Sayn is provided in audio and video clips on a short walk. Access is via QR codes or integration into the popular Traumpfade app. The audio contributions and videos make local history visible with the help of local personalities and offer low-threshold access to experience digitalization. “This project came about as a result of the ideas competition to which the smart region MYK10 called on people in the district as part of the federally funded Smart Cities model project in 2021. With his idea of a district that can be experienced digitally, Sven Peters from Bendorf was able to convince the steering group of the Smart Region MYK10 and was chosen as one of the winners of the competition,” explains Sonja Gröntgen, Chief Digital Officer in the district of Mayen-Koblenz. According to Gröntgen, citizens in MYK often perceive the digital world separately from the ‘real’ world. “By making analogue things digitally tangible during a walk through Bendorf-Sayn, citizens are made aware of the added value of digital solutions in education and entertainment,” emphasizes the project manager of the “Smart Region MYK10”, through which the project in Sayn is financed as part of the Smart Cities model project.

“Sayn is a melting pot of tourist highlights and is one of the most popular excursion destinations in the Rhine-Moselle-Eifel region with the Butterfly Garden, the castle and its royal history, Hein’s Mill, the abbey and the Sayner Hütte as well as the Saynsteig and the Sayner Aussichten dream trail. That’s why the Traumpfädchen is the ideal choice for the digital hike,” says REMET Deputy Managing Director Michael Schwippert, who is delighted about the enrichment of the tourist offer in the Mayen-Koblenz district and also thanks everyone involved in the development and implementation of this digital hike, including the town of Bendorf and the Koblenz-based production company Nandoo, for the outstanding result.

The new digital walking tour not only makes the public space in Mayen-Koblenz more attractive, but also demonstrates the potential of linking digitalization, education and tourism in the cityscape. “Through the project, we are specifically testing which access channels visitors prefer for the audio and videos, how much they use such digital offerings and which of the two output forms they prefer. This is an important finding for tourism and education stakeholders in our district and beyond. Because depending on how the digital offering is received, other tourist highlights in the region could take a leaf out of their book,” emphasizes Sonja Gröntgen.

You can find information about the “Digital Hike Traumpfädchen Sayner Aussichten” on the Traumpfade website. You can order or download the flyer from Rhein-Mosel-Eifel-Touristik and the tourist information office in Bendorf Sayn.