eak breaks record: 20 million visitors welcomed since 2009

Bad Kötzting. Almost 2.4 million visitors in 2023 at 13 locations around the world: despite the ups and downs of the tourism industry and the capricious weather, Erlebnis Akademie AG (eak) is presenting impressive figures. In July 2024, the eak Group has written company history: the treetop walks of the company from Bad Kötzting in the Bavarian Forest have welcomed more than 20 million guests since the opening of the first treetop walk in 2009. In addition, there are well over half a million visitors to the five adventure forests, despite a much later opening. But figures are one thing, says Bernd Bayerköhler, CEO and Spokesman of the Management Board. What lies behind them is at least as important.

First and foremost, that would be all employees, he says. “From early in the morning until late at night, seven days a week, our team does an outstanding job - whether with customers, in the office or in the technical department. Our colleagues, who go about their work every day with care, diligence and exceptional friendliness, have made the 20 million visitors possible in the first place. On behalf of the entire management team, I would like to thank each and every one of them from the bottom of my heart for their commitment.”

Visiting eak facilities promotes environmentally conscious behaviour

Bernd Bayerköhler also refers to eak's mission statement. “Exceptional nature experiences in harmony with economy and ecology. For us, this is not just a phrase, but the common thread that we have been pursuing since our foundation in 2001. We're not jumping on the bandwagon of any trend, but have been achieving truly impressive results here for more than two decades in terms of environmental education and the sustainable development of our biosphere. If every one of the 20 million guests has taken away just a spark of new knowledge or a small impulse to protect our nature... When you think about what we have achieved here, I personally can only be proud and optimistic about the future and am already looking forward to the next 20 million guests.”

Christoph Blaß, CFO of eak, is also delighted with the success and adds that the treetop walks and their complementary facilities, such as adventure forests, restaurants and shops, are constantly perceived and rated positively by guests. “In addition to the environmental awareness surveys, we conduct up to ten visitor surveys per location each year. In particular, we collect data on customer satisfaction and the intention to return.

In 2023, 87 per cent of respondents - across all facilities in Germany, Austria, Alsace, Canada and Ireland - said they wanted to visit the treetop walk they had visited again. 92 per cent also want to visit another treetop walk.

Guest satisfaction confirmes: Sustainable tourism is a success model

According to Christoph Blaß, these high values for the intention to return speak for a stable demand for eak's nature experiences with educational and sustainability aims. “They are also underpinned by the high satisfaction ratings resulting from the evaluation of the individual offers and the overall programme. In 2023, but also in previous years, all eak locations received average scores of more than 9 for the overall offer in customer surveys - on a scale of 0 to 10.”

Plans: Creating new impetus for existing locations and new facilities in Europe

Resting on success? Not an option for eak. “We are driven by the positive feedback from our guests,” says Bernd Bayerköhler. There are already concrete plans: “New locations, for example in Hungary, Croatia and Slovakia, are currently planned with construction starting around 2025.” Expansions and events at the existing locations are also planned and have already been realised in some cases. “Whether it's the LÀ-HAUT acrobatics show at Sentier des Cimes in Canada, the bear enclosure in Krkonoše or the winter illumination, which will offer special guest experiences at several locations in the off-season. I don't want to reveal too much or go beyond the scope here. It's worth taking a regular look at our events calendar at www.treetop-walks.com!”

ℹ Transparency note: At which location did it happen?

Who was the 20 millionth visitor and where was he a guest? Unfortunately, it is not possible to say exactly due to the amount of work involved. This would have required, among other things, a parallel, manual count of guests in each facility. The data therefore comes from a retrospective analysis of visitor numbers.

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eak breaks record: 20 million visitors welcomed since 2009