Province Of Lower Austria To Purchase Hochkar Otscher Lifts
After intensive negotiations, the Schröcksnadel Group and ecoplus Alpin (100 percent owned by the state) concluded the purchase contracts for the Hochkar mountain railways and the Ötscher lifts "subject to the approval of the respective committees responsible for the shareholders". An independent market value appraisal was commissioned to determine the purchase price. In the days that followed, the supervisory boards of the Schröcksnadel Group and ecoplus unanimously approved the purchase. The market value appraisal is now available and sets the purchase price of the Schröcksnadel shares in the Hochkar at six million euros. The 60 percent share of the Ötscher lifts will become the sole property of the state for a purchase price of 50 euros. These contracts or
“Today we jointly decided that Lower Austria's flagship ski area, the Hochkar, will become 100 percent owned by the state. We have thus created the basis for the lift operations on the Hochkar and Ötscher to leverage synergies. With this solution, we give Lackenhof time to tackle the long-term challenges and develop the place into a year-round tourist destination. The state will not let Lackenhof down in the future either, but the new initiatives must come from the region and - with the support of the state - be borne by the region. We are confident that we will succeed in leveraging the tourism potential together, ”emphasized District Councilor Jochen Danninger and District Councilor Gottfried Waldhäusl after the government meeting.
“The unanimous government decision is a strong sign that the future of Lackenhof is very important to all of us. Lackenhof needs new tourism impulses and every helping hand to get going. Now everyone is invited to get involved with know-how and ideas, but above all with deeds and investments, ”emphasizes Provincial Councilor Jochen Danninger.
“The foundation stone was laid at the government meeting. Now a concept has to be drawn up quickly that guarantees the Lackenhof tourist region a long and sustainable future. As long as the Ötscher exists, ”emphasizes Provincial Councilor Gottfried Waldhäusl.
The “Lackenhof 2.0” task force has been working on the tourist repositioning of Lackenhof am Ötscher since the beginning of December. Since then, numerous discussions have taken place with local companies, but also with potential investors, who will put their ideas into concrete terms in the coming months. In any case, reliable results on how tourism in Lackenhof will continue should be available in 2022. Whether and which ascent aids will be operated at the Ötscher lifts from the winter season 2023/2024 depends on the new concepts, the ideas of the landowners and potential new investors. In the coming months, the state of Lower Austria will start a "host call" for the accommodation providers in Lackenhof, where it will be very important that as many local businesses as possible renovate their rooms with the help of state funding. Because only with an attractive range of beds can new groups of guests be addressed.
The sole ownership of the state of Lower Austria in the lift companies on the Hochkar and in Lackenhof on the Ötscher will take effect retrospectively on December 3, 2021. ecoplus Alpin is now operating the merger of the Ötscherlift-Gesellschaft mbH into Hochkar Bergbahnen GmbH. The Hochkar Bergbahnen GmbH as the receiving company is then responsible for the operation of the Hochkar Bergbahnen and the Ötscher lifts. The company will be adjusted accordingly to take this into account.
