Schladming-Dachstein Business Day - Regional Economy Benefits From Local Tourism Across All Sectors
At the first business day in the Schladming-Dachstein region on Wednesday (10 May), the focus was on the interaction between business and tourism and the far-reaching economic interdependencies in all sectors. In her statement, Minister of Tourism and Economics Barbara Eibinger-Miedl pointed out the importance of tourism for Styria as a business location.
On May 10th, the business representatives of the region met at the Gröbming College for Agriculture and Food Economics to exchange ideas. The Schladming-Dachstein Tourism Association had invited in cooperation with the Regional Office of the Chamber of Commerce and the Raiffeisenbank Schladming-Gröbming. "As a tourism association, it is particularly important to us to make visible the significant contribution that entrepreneurs make to tourism in the region.
From the bakery to the car workshop, there are far-reaching economic links with tourism - so we are all literally in the same boat," agree TVB chairman Andreas Keinprecht and TVB managing director Mathias Schattleitner. The business day at the Gröbming technical school marked the end of a three-day business tour of the Schladming-Dachstein Tourist Board together with the Styrian Chamber of Commerce through the region, during which local small and medium-sized companies were visited.
Tourism as the lifeline of the region
As the responsible Styrian Provincial Councilor for Tourism and Economy, Barbara Eibinger-Miedl opened the Business Day with her statement on the importance of tourism in the region from a Styrian perspective: "Tourism is an important lifeline for the green heart of Austria, which ensures added value, creates jobs and thus the local quality of life. I am pleased that the Schladming-Dachstein Tourist Association is showing this great relevance and making the economic networks visible. The Schladming-Dachstein adventure region is a prime example of the well-functioning symbiosis of business and tourism.”
Keynote speaker Matthias Reith, economist at Raiffeisen Research, outlined the economic environment in which regional companies currently find themselves and gave an overview of the complex effects of interest rates and the causes of rising inflation. The business day, which is to take place annually in the future, was rounded off by a panel discussion in which the question was raised of what the region would look like without tourism. Tourism and business representatives on stage agreed that tourism makes a significant contribution to the development of the entire region and is a driving force behind the wide range of infrastructure and leisure activities, from which all locals in the Schladming-Dachstein region would also benefit.
EUR 493 million added value for the region
A recent study makes it clear how far-reaching the economic effects are that are triggered by tourism in the region. Tourism in the Schladming-Dachstein region creates not only 3,600 direct jobs per year, but also a further 3,600 jobs in trade, crafts and the service sector in the region. A total of 493 million euros in additional value is created in the region every year from tourism. A special feature is that the companies pay more attention to the supply of regional producers and service providers, which results in closer economic ties and also higher added value directly for the region.
The Public Value Report, which was commissioned by the Schladming-Dachstein Tourist Board together with the Schladming-Gröbming Raiffeisenbank, examines the economic impulses and the socio-regional effects of hospitality in the Schladming-Dachstein tourism region in the observation period 2019 to 2023
