Under the motto "Inner drive - outer success: new approaches to employee retention and recruitment", presentations and a panel discussion presented solutions that can be used to counteract the shortage of labor and skilled workers. Mayor and Head of Economic Affairs Christiane Hinninger and District Administrator of the Rheingau-Taunus district Sandro Zehner reported: "Almost all sectors are complaining about a lack of skilled workers and a shortage of young talent. It is therefore only natural that we take on the challenge of finding sustainable solutions with the greatest interest and intensive effort. Whether with the employer brand in Wiesbaden or the Round Table initiative in the Rheingau - all relevant institutions and organizations are working hand in hand with the district and the state capital." Together, they opened the third edition of the Tourism Dialogue with around 130 participants. "As a city and district, we want to contribute our expertise to this cross-industry challenge - be it with the job center, business development or ProJob - and are planning concrete measures to support the hospitality industry or public transport in the increasingly difficult search for skilled workers," explained Mayor Hinninger and District Administrator Zehner.

"The city has launched the 'Employer Brand of the State Capital of Wiesbaden' initiative, with which it has successfully positioned itself on the local labor market and aims to increase the city's attractiveness as an employer," explained Mayor Hinninger. District Administrator Zehner reported on the successful event to bring Ukrainian citizens and employers together and on the "Rheingau Labor Shortage Round Table" network. The details of both initiatives were presented during the tourism dialog, which was free of charge for all participants and designed for tourism service providers and partner companies as well as anyone interested in the topic.

Martin Michel, Managing Director of Wiesbaden Congress & Marketing GmbH, and Dominik Russler, Managing Director of Rheingau-Taunus Kultur und Tourismus GmbH, referred to the destination WIESBADEN RHEINGAU, which has been showing joint strength on the market since the end of 2021 without neglecting the independence and identity of the two partners: "Opportunities also arise from the use of synergies and cooperation in the region". The destination, which has dedicated itself to the joie de vivre, relaxed lifestyle and distinctive festival culture, successfully presented itself at numerous trade fairs last year and was also represented as a premium partner at the world's largest travel and tourism event, the International Tourism Exchange (ITB) in Berlin. "The shortage of skilled workers and labor, which was the main topic this year, is something that we can only tackle and solve together with all institutions and politicians. We are delighted that the service providers and, of course, our partners DEHOGA, IHK Wiesbaden, the city of Wiesbaden and the Rheingau-Taunus district are taking part," added Dominik Russler.

In a cross-industry keynote speech at the Tourism Dialogue, the question of the necessity of "Changes in marketing or development of work?" was explored, while another speech highlighted the aspects of social recruiting, digitalization for employee retention and relief as well as diversity. In addition, impulses on the "Success factors in recruiting" were presented as part of a talk round with experience reports from industry experts. Samira Gütlein-Seibel, Head of Skilled Staff Retention and Development at long-standing partner IHK Wiesbaden, made it clear as part of the panel discussion: "Retaining skilled staff is more important today than ever, as it ensures the long-term competitiveness of companies. By focusing on promoting and retaining our existing employees, we develop a deeper level of expertise, increase innovative strength and boost employee satisfaction. It is often underestimated how resource-intensive the constant recruitment of new staff is." How opportunities can be exploited through synergies was discussed at the Tourism Dialogue in the afternoon in the form of a "World Café". Here, participants were able to find out about current developments, identify potential for cooperation and actively help shape solutions that drive joint development in the region. As an alternative to the "World Café", an excursion to the Heimathafen in the old courthouse was offered, which itself stands for creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and social innovation.