Summer Operation Of The ‘Best Austrian’ Summer Liftco’s Continues Until November
Summer is not over yet - so the mild temperatures continue to attract numerous holiday guests to Alpine travel destinations in autumn. The ongoing demand means that the Best Austrian Summer Mountain Railways (a quality initiative of the Cable Car Association in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce) are extending some of their summer operations until November this year. The initiative is already drawing a positive conclusion to the 2023 summer season.
Cooling down for hot days – flexibility in changeable weather conditions
It has already become apparent in recent years: interest in exercise and variety in the Austrian mountains in summer is constantly increasing. The best Austrian summer mountain railways started the 2023 season with corresponding expectations. The latest quick survey among members confirms the expectations: 3 out of 4 mountain railways achieved an increase in guests of up to 20%.
The survey shows that the weather has the greatest influence on cable car use: “During the pronounced heat and rain periods this season, our members noticed fluctuations in the number of guests. The development of a variety of indoor and outdoor experiences is therefore very important in order to give guests a safe and attractive offer even in changeable weather conditions,” reports Kornel Grundner, spokesman for the Best Austrian Summer Mountain Railways.
There is a strong focus on further developing offers relating to water and cooling off on the mountain. Water playgrounds, Kneipp facilities and a presentation of the snow-making ponds in summer are particularly popular. Especially when the weather is changeable, mountain holidaymakers like to be close to the cable cars: if it rains, you can quickly get back to the valley and on the mountain there are increasingly weather-independent offers apart from restaurants. For example, young explorers can let off steam in the AlbertAdler SpieleWelt at the Ahornbahn or learn more about the Triassic period in the Triassic Center on the Steinplatte.
Regional cooperation along the entire value chain
At the start of the 2023 summer season, 65% of the best Austrian summer mountain railways stated that they perceived the desire of guests, employees and partners for operational sustainability measures most strongly in the area of regionality. “In the cable car industry, we see it as our responsibility to raise awareness of sustainability measures and implement them ourselves, not only in terms of energy efficiency and resource conservation,” says Grundner. Three quarters of the mountain railways are part of at least one regional initiative or cooperation. The most important reasons for cooperation are sustainable positioning (57%), inner conviction (53%) and the expectations of holiday guests (45%).
Members most often cooperate with regional partners in the areas of tourism, transport and mobility, gastronomy and cuisine, and the environment and nature. For example, marketing collaborations with tourism associations, guest or experience cards, mobility offers and local purchasing groups are widespread. This also includes adventure trails to impart knowledge about local agriculture, initiatives to raise awareness of respectful behavior on the mountain or further training and benefit offers for employees. Many mountain railways are also part of initiatives that promote climate neutrality and circular economy, such as Climate and Energy Model Regions (KEM), TurntoZero or CleanUP Days.
Positive look at autumn
Grundner has a positive outlook on autumn: “Autumn is known to be the ideal time for an outdoor and active holiday in the mountains. Especially with the sunny weather in the last few weeks, many guests have been drawn to the Austrian mountains. If the weather continues to be this nice, it will be the same in the coming weeks.”
This confidence is also confirmed by the current survey: for 9 out of 10 mountain railways, the off-season (spring and autumn) is becoming increasingly important for summer operations. The majority of the best Austrian summer mountain railways do not end summer operations until the end of October. What is particularly exciting is that every third mountain railway is in summer operation until November - for some this even applies until November 30th. A look at the 2024 season reveals: More than a third of the mountain railways want to extend the summer season even further beyond the off-season next year.
About the “Best Austrian Summer Mountain Railways” seal of quality
The Best Austrian Summer Mountain Railways quality seal is an initiative of the Cable Car Association (Austrian Chamber of Commerce). The seal of quality brings together the experts and pioneers of domestic summer mountain tourism and now has 77 members with 94 themed mountains. The seal of quality is an important decision-making criterion when choosing a destination, especially for summer vacationers with no mountain experience. Only companies that meet at least 160 quality criteria become members of the Best Austrian Summer Mountain Railways. Specializing in five theme worlds – adventure, family, panorama & nature experience, enjoyment, art & culture – members must pass recertification every three years.
