Summer In Austria's Mountain Regions Becoming Increasingly Popular
As part of a joint press conference at the Seegrube in Innsbruck, ÖW Chief Operating Officer Sandra Neukart, WKÖ Cable Car Chairman Franz Hörl and Kornel Grundner, Chairman of the "Best Austrian Summer Mountain Railways" quality initiative, presented an optimistic outlook for the coming summer tourist season in Austria's mountain regions. It became clear once again what an important role the cable car industry plays in the success of tourism - both in summer and winter - in Austria.
Neukart: Great potential for a successful mountain summer 2024
According to current surveys and forecasts by the Austrian Tourist Board, the Austrian tourism industry is in for a successful summer. The demand for summer holidays in Austria is optimistic. The Austrian mountain regions in particular have always been a magnet for those seeking relaxation and active holidaymakers from local markets and, increasingly, from long-distance tourism markets. The tourism regions have demonstrated enormous innovative strength in recent years and developed a diverse range of offers. "Austria's mountain regions offer a huge variety of activities in summer. Our guests love the landscape and our mountains and appreciate the activities associated with them - especially hiking. At the same time, there is an increasing trend towards combining them with other aspects - such as culinary delights or wellness. The cable cars are an important key to the success of entire tourism regions and are therefore essential for value creation," says Sandra Neukart, Chief Operating Officer of the Austrian Tourist Board.
Hörl: Regions with mountain railways are popular
"We can also confirm the positive development of the mountain summer," adds Franz Hörl, chairman of the cable car association in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. "Summer tourism now accounts for over 15 percent of the cable car industry's turnover." There are around 200 companies operating in summer across Austria. They record around 20 million first-time visitors each year in summer - and the trend is rising.
The targeted development of the mountain summer attracts holidaymakers from a wide variety of regions year after year. At the same time, it is a key driver for the regional economy and ensures that employees are employed in the regions all year round: Of a total of 17,100 employees in the cable car industry, almost 8,000 are employed all year round. "We know that regions with mountain railways develop better than regions without mountain railways," adds Hörl. "That's why it is our job in summer and winter to constantly expand the range of offers so that our guests continue to be extremely satisfied." Current guest surveys show that around 80 percent of guests are extremely enthusiastic about the mountain offerings. The offers are perceived as eventful, enjoyable and unique. With a view to the coming summer, the company wants to continue the recipe for success of "quality and experience". The quality initiative of the “Best Austrian Summer Mountain Railways” trade association has been the pioneer in the field of strengthening the mountain summer and further developing high-quality and varied mountain experiences, in harmony with nature, the region and the guests, for over 20 years.
Grundner: The trend is towards leisure and adventure hikes, family and bike offers
"Varied experiences on the mountain are the key to summer guests choosing a destination and sometimes even using the cable car several times during their vacation," says Kornel Grundner, spokesman for the "Best Austrian Summer Mountain Railways". "Families in particular like to come back a second, third or fourth time because of the mountain experiences."
One of the main reasons for a summer holiday in the mountains is still hiking. However, the trend is moving towards leisurely and adventure hiking with comfortable routes, stopovers that invite you to linger, or app or virtual reality-based puzzle tours. Families want entertainment, playful exercise, and discovery tours where young and old can learn something. Bike offers are still a perennial favorite. The trails are constantly being developed and expanded and are now attracting more and more international guests.
About the seal of approval “Best Austrian Summer Mountain Railways”
The seal of quality for the Best Austrian Summer Mountain Railways is an initiative of the Cable Cars Association (Austrian Chamber of Commerce) and stands for quality, cooperation and sustainable regional development. The seal of quality brings together the experts and pioneers of domestic summer mountain tourism and now has 79 members with 96 themed mountains. Only companies that meet at least 100 quality criteria become one of the "Best Austrian Summer Mountain Railways". Specialized in five themed worlds - adventure, family, panorama & nature experience, enjoyment, art & culture - the members must pass a recertification every three years. A varied range of experiences is guaranteed - not least because of this, the seal of quality has now become an important decision-making criterion when holidaymakers choose their destination.
