Schladming-Dachstein - New Tourism Association Formed

 As of October next, the seven existing tourism associations in Schladming-Dachstein will be merged into one large joint association as part of the structural reform decided by the State of Styria, and this will also be expanded to include the municipality of Stainach-Pürgg. 

• The structural reform decided by the state of Styria is already very far advanced in the upper Ennstal
• The organizational structure for the new association has already been worked out and decided
• A broad reform process is in progress, a large tourism forum will take place in July 

In the future, the new “Schladming-Dachstein Adventure Region” in the upper Ennstal will be home to 13 communities with a total of around 4,000 people interested in tourism. The organizational structure for the new association, the third largest in Austria alongside the one in Vienna and the Ötztal, has already been worked out and decided. The team around project coordinator Mathias Schattleitner has set itself the goal of working actively within the new structure as early as the summer.

“The process is well on track and well advanced. It is very important to us to process as many points as possible before the main summer season so that ongoing operations are no longer impaired too much, ”explains Schattleitner. “A team workshop with all employees took place at the end of April and the first steps were discussed. What I have achieved so far makes me very optimistic about the future. We have a strong team that wants to tackle new projects with a lot of energy and motivation. "

Experienced partners are at your side

The process is accompanied by the consulting agency Conos, which has planned the entire process of the transformation, organizes workshops and provides support with the content-related target image. In addition, Schladming-Dachstein consulted the consulting firm Kohl & Partner as experts for the development of the new organizational structure and the distribution of employees in the new tourism association. In addition to landlords, those interested in tourism and municipal representatives, the “next generation” - the young locals in the region - will also be involved. “We are deliberately setting up the process more broadly and are working with various stakeholders in the region on the common future of the new major tourism region,” emphasizes Schattleitner. 

Reform process with high transparency

An online survey was carried out in March and April, and the reform process is now to be broadened. Any interested local is invited to take part in the discussions. Those responsible rely on a high level of transparency during the entire restructuring phase. A virtual tourism forum will take place on May 18th to provide information to those interested in tourism. Subsequently, a large information event is planned for the Schladming congress on July 22nd, at which the Schladming-Dachstein adventure region will present the new concept and the newly developed structure. All information is also always up-to-date on a specially set up website for those interested in tourism . 

Project coordinator Mathias Schattleitner: "The reform process for the new association is well on track and well advanced."

With the merger of the seven existing tourism associations plus Stainach-Pürgg, Schladming-Dachstein will become the third largest association in Austria, alongside Vienna and Ötztal. The Schladming-Dachstein holiday region is one of the five largest tourist destinations in Austria. In summer, around 1,000 kilometers of hiking trails, 1,000 kilometers of mountain bike routes and 26 via ferratas are available for guests.