Developing innovative tourism experiences in the beautiful Bavarian village in Germany

The intensive week lived up to its name: packed with learning, collaboration and inspiration.

I had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with students from Kempten UAS, Breda UAS and Lapland UAS to develop an innovative tourism experience in the beautiful Bavarian village of Missen-Wilhams.

Photo 1. The students and teachers from Kempten UAS, Breda UAS and Lapland UAS

Our focus was to explore alternative winter activities that are less dependent on snow than traditional ski resorts, which typically define the region.

Photos 2 and 3. Getting to know the destination Missen-Wilhams

Our course followed the Design Thinking method. First, we empathised with the situation and identified the target group by working in mixed international teams. Through pre-research, including interviews, we aimed to uncover the true needs and desires of potential visitors, as well as the barriers preventing them from coming to the region. We developed a customer persona that represented our typical target audience, then clearly defined the core challenge.

In the ideation phase, we unleashed our creativity and generated a wide range of ideas—including some wild ones. During the convergence phase, we narrowed these down to the most practical and relevant concept.

Photo 4. Creating a prototype of the experience concept

With a clear direction, we built a tangible prototype of our idea and rehearsed a pitch to present it effectively. We then took to the streets to test the prototype by presenting it to people in our target group, gathering valuable feedback that helped us refine the concept even further.

Photo 5. Presenting the prototypes and the ideas to the target group

Finally, the moment we had all been waiting for arrived: the presentation of our ideas to the key stakeholders—the Mayor of Missen-Wilhams, the Tourism Manager, and a representative from the local ski lift cooperative. They were genuinely impressed with the innovative solutions we proposed for dealing with the challenges of potentially snowless winters.

The course was coordinated by Professor Nico Stengel (Kempten UAS) and Sabine Weizenegger, with lectures and guidance from Monique Leijser, Miguel Bravo Madrid, and Petra Paloniemi. As Lapland UAS students, we also had a pricing workshop led by Teija Tekoniemi-Selkälä where we explored the pricing strategy for our tourism product.

It was a fantastic experience to study and make new friends in such a dynamic, international group. The scenery of the Allgäu region is truly breathtaking, calling it beautiful hardly does it justice. And to top it off, the travel costs were covered by a grant.

The intensive week lived up to its name: packed with learning, collaboration and inspiration. We walked away not just with a solid concept but also with a valuable Design Thinking toolkit we can use to innovate new and exciting experiences in the future.

Kyle Miller, student, Degree Programme in Bachelor of Hospitality Management, Tourism