Austrian Liftco’s Report Positive 2022 Summer Season

At the end of the 2022 summer season, the best Austrian summer mountain railways draw a positive conclusion. A lightning survey shows: the mountain experience factor is attracting more and more holidaymakers to the local mountains. Sustainable offers are becoming more and more important, which is why sustainability is becoming the main topic at the best Austrian summer mountain railways this year. In order to work through the topic transparently, the quality initiative of the Cable Car Association presents the results of an Austria-wide survey on the status quo of operational sustainability measures.

Positive developments in turnover and transport figures

The best Austrian summer mountain railways play a pioneering role in the Alpine region. With the targeted strengthening of summer mountain tourism, the quality initiative has developed Austria into a year-round holiday destination. This can also be seen in the 2022 summer season. A quick survey of the 76 member companies confirms: Summer in the mountains is trendy. The companies surveyed were able to record an increase of around 5 to 15 percent in terms of transport figures and sales.

Offers related to adventure and entertainment on the mountain are particularly popular. “Bikes are still a hot topic. Guests want an action-packed mountain experience - whether it's an e-bike, mountain cart or the bike park. It's all about the experience factor on the mountain," explains Kornel Grundner, spokesman for the best Austrian summer mountain railways. This is also reflected in the fact that family and children's offers that offer games, fun and adventure are in great demand, especially during holiday periods. These include activities such as treasure hunts, children's playgrounds, summer toboggan runs, themed trails or the reinterpretation of the hiking experience with augmented reality (hiking 2.0).

The cable car operation should become more sustainable

The entire Austrian cable car industry is currently involved in a comprehensive strategy process with sustainable energy consumption - in summer and in winter. For example, the Cable Car Association is working on a standardized CO2 footprint calculator that will support cable car companies in professionally monitoring their own CO2 footprint, identifying further savings potential and taking appropriate measures. "Sustainability is nothing new for us at the best Austrian summer mountain railways," explains Kornel Grundner, spokesman for the seal of approval. “The issues of year-round employment and tourism are particularly important for sustainable regional development. This has been one of our core goals for over 20 years. In addition, there are issues of resource conservation and energy efficiency, climate-neutral mobility and regionality”. In the "Think Tank", the innovative companies of the quality initiative continuously exchange ideas about those topics that can strengthen the mountain summer even further. In 2022, sustainability will also become a key issue in this collaboration.

The goal is clear: summer operations should not only be expanded, but also become more sustainable. This is also reflected in the certification and recertification process. The members must meet at least 160 basic criteria for a test. From now on, sustainability standards in the areas of energy, resource, water and CO2 efficiency are also part of the certification criteria. "If we take our role as a quality initiative seriously, the issue of sustainability must also be reflected in the certification and recertification process," says Grundner.

Austria-wide survey provides information about the status quo of the industry

In order to get a clear overview of how the best Austrian summer mountain railways are positioned when it comes to sustainability, an Austria-wide survey was carried out among the member companies for the first time. The focus is on three areas: energy efficiency and resource conservation, climate-friendly mobility and regionality.

The survey proves that sustainability measures are not only classified as relevant, but are already being implemented in practice. Almost all members (98%) implement steps in the field of nature and landscape protection in their company. Over 80 percent of them are trying to recultivate and green programs or integrate them into the landscape. Around 74 percent take measures to conserve species and plant diversity. A look at the area of ​​resource conservation shows something similar: 92 percent of the cable cars are already taking measures. The focus here is primarily on the use of local materials (81%), measures for efficient water management (77%) and recycling measures and waste management (67%). 83 percent of the cable cars take measures to improve their energy efficiency. First and foremost is the procurement of energy from 100% renewable energy sources (80%). A good 60 percent also ensure energy recovery in cable car operation. [1]

Further steps necessary

"It's not enough just to make the cable car operation climate-friendly or to offer sustainable nature and mountain experiences," explains Grundner. "It's also about getting the guests and employees involved in the topic and creating awareness for the sustainable use of our resources and nature. Around 90 percent of our companies are already doing this.”

"Most of the best Austrian summer mountain railways are already implementing strong measures in all three areas of sustainability: in the social dimension, the economic dimension and the ecological dimension," Grundner summarizes the results. "Sure, there's still a lot to do. The road to a climate-neutral future is still a long one. As a result of the survey, we now know for the first time how we stand as an industry, where we are already well positioned and where there is a need to catch up. This is an important step in the right direction.”

The topic of sustainability will continue to accompany the industry beyond 2022. The survey shows that over 90 percent of the mountain railways surveyed would like to implement further measures to promote sustainability in their operations in the next 5 years. The results are further processed in the "think tank" of the seal of approval. For this purpose, best practice examples within the industry are identified and recommendations for action as well as information material are prepared for the members.