The privately organised institute was founded April 26th, 1991 and is based in Kiel, Germany. The intention of the founding partners was to establish tourism research competence in Northern Germany and to apply this competence to the practical work in the tourism industry.
(Photo by Frank Molter)
From its foundation in 1991 until summer of 2022, the work of the NIT was largely shaped by the first Managing Director and Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Martin Lohmann. Ulf Sonntag has taken over the management since 2022.
From the beginning there were no regional limits for the activities of the new institute. Hence, the name affix ‘… in Northern Europe’ is rather a designation for the home of the NIT than its field of activity.
The institute has a partnership with the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, Germany. A scientific advisory board and a board of representatives accompany and support the work of the institute.