SalzburgerLand Presents Winter Campaign With Marcel Hirscher For The New “Winter Generation” Ahead Of 2023/24 Season.

Getting children and young people excited about skiing: This goal unites tourism in SalzburgerLand with one of its greatest ski heroes, Marcel Hirscher. On Tuesday, the SalzburgerLand Tourismus Gesellschaft (SLTG) and tourism ambassador Hirscher presented a new video that is intended to pass on the passion for winter sports to the next generation as part of the “Generation Winter” campaign. Because skiing is still by far the most important reason for a winter holiday in SalzburgerLand - and according to those responsible, it should remain that way in the future.

The number of overnight stays reached almost 98 percent of the pre-Corona level last winter, the first “complete” winter season without lockdowns for accommodation providers after the pandemic. This positive trend is set to continue if Salzburg state parliament member Hans Scharfetter has his way, who, as department spokesman, is also responsible for business and tourism.

“Children and young people are our loyal guests of the future”

“Our great tourism businesses impress us every year with their quality and hospitality. We are currently in the final preparations for the winter season, which we will be focusing on in tourism marketing from today onwards,” said Scharfetter. “It is particularly important to us to use our resources sustainably, but so is the young skiers. We want to get children and young people from near and far excited about skiing and thus win them as loyal guests to our country in the long term. I am therefore happy about every initiative that helps us to achieve this goal and would also like to thank all tourism professionals in this country who make SalzburgerLand what it is: a model region in the Tourism."

You don't want to miss out on vacation even in difficult times

Expectations for the upcoming winter season are positive, even if the effects of global crises and, in particular, the economic conditions due to global inflation remain a factor of uncertainty. But, says Scharfetter: “It has also become clear in the summer season that is coming to an end that many people see vacation as a basic need for quality of life that they do not want to do without.” This assessment is underlined by the tourism statistics currently shows the best summer result since recording began. Over eleven million overnight stays from May to August 2023 (note: the September statistics will be published in a few days) represent a further increase of 4.5 percent compared to the previous year.

Current study: demand higher than last winter

As far as demand for the upcoming winter season is concerned, a very recent study by the Institute for Tourism Research in Northern Europe (NIT) in the ten most important markets for domestic winter tourism comes to a very similar conclusion: The results show that despite general price increases, the signs for the coming winter season is more positive than a year ago. A higher proportion of the population has the time and desire to travel than last winter. Only when it comes to the travel budget are the values ​​still below those of 2021, but these have also increased compared to 2022.

Austria is one step ahead when it comes to winter sports destinations

Austria remains very well positioned and is in the first two places in all markets in the ranking of winter snow destinations. A total of 20 million people in the markets surveyed have fixed travel plans for Austria. That's three million more than in the previous year's survey. If they stick to their plans, Austria can also expect increasing demand this winter. 

SalzburgerLand is the first choice for holidays with children

The importance of a high-quality offering on the slopes is also shown by the Tourism Monitor Austria (T-Mona) guest survey: More than two thirds of winter guests in SalzburgerLand go skiing or snowboarding during their vacation. This makes winter sports by far the most important holiday motive - followed by hiking in the early and late season or winter hikes (36%) and wellness offers and swimming pools (26%). “The survey also shows: SalzburgerLand is particularly popular with families. A third of our guests come with children or young people. With these numbers we are above the Austrian average,” says Leo Bauernberger, Managing Director of the SalzburgerLand Tourismus Gesellschaft (SLTG).

Bauernberger: “Carrying on the torch of winter enthusiasm”

In order to maintain and further expand this position, SLTG is placing a special focus on the next generation in its marketing activities this winter. “Our campaign with the slogan 'We are the Winter Generation', which we launched last year and which expresses how much the love of winter and winter sports unites us in SalzburgerLand across all generations, is ideal for this,” said Bauernberger. “It was logical for us to focus on children and young people in the second year of the campaign. So that our tourism industry can continue to live from winter sports in the future, it is crucial to pass on the torch of enthusiasm to the next generation.”

An important factor here are major events such as the World Cup races in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee or Flachau and of course the World Cup finals coming up in March 2024 or the big highlight, the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships 2025 in Saalbach Hinterglemm. “When children can get very close to their idols, the world’s best skiers, the enthusiasm jumps over.”

Video with Marcel Hirscher and the new “Generation Winter”

One of the new campaign highlights is a video that was shot together with long-time SalzburgerLand ambassador Marcel Hirscher in his hometown of Annaberg-Lungötz. “The idea was to bring together the most successful skier of our time with those whose big dream is to follow in his footsteps – exactly where Hirscher made his first tracks in the snow,” says Bauernberger.

Hirscher was on fire from the first second. The plan arose to surprise the children of the Annaberg Ski Club with a training session and spend a day together on the slopes. “Only the coach knew, it was a secret for the kids until the last second. “The reactions were all the better,” says Hirscher, delighted with the result.

Hirscher: “Lightning in the eyes is the greatest thing!”

The day in Annaberg was remembered not only by the children, but also by the ski legend. “It’s always something very special to see the light in your eyes that you felt as a little kid,” says Hirscher. “As a child, you have such an unadulterated approach to skiing and are uninfluenced by external influences that can sometimes take away the fun in the course of a professional career. Promoting this joy, this pure passion, is very important to me today. I am convinced that this is the only way you can get the most out of yourself – with the necessary will and consistency, of course, but above all with passion.”

For him, the memories of his childhood are some of the most beautiful. “When I think back to the winter in my childhood, it’s not primarily about racing, but about building ski jumps. It wasn’t about who was faster, but who flew further,” laughs Hirscher. “That's how it should be, fun and passion must be the focus. We couldn't imagine a winter without skiing from an early age. No sport or activity represents our region like skiing. We have an excellent infrastructure, great quality ski areas, and guests from all over the world travel to SalzburgerLand every winter. Skiing is healthy, you're outside in Alpine nature, always in the fresh air - it's great that our homeland is so much for winter sports. We shouldn’t talk ourselves down about it, we should preserve it for the future.”

SalzburgerLand campaign starts on TV next week

The 'Heroes of Tomorrow' video with Marcel "complements and accentuates our winter campaign, especially in online and social media channels," reveals Bauernberger. “But of course it’s not our only campaign highlight. We're starting a TV campaign next week in the most important markets of origin, Germany and Austria." In this country, the 'Generation Winter' TV spot, which was also shot with Marcel Hirscher and was very successful last year, will be shown, among other things ORF and ServusTV can be seen. In Germany, the focus is on a mix of channels with a target group that is interested in winter sports, including ProSieben, Sat1, Vox and Eurosport.

Alpine young talent with tradition

But that's not the only reason why the SLTG is focusing on young winter sports talent next winter. “SalzburgerLand enjoys an excellent reputation throughout Europe as a hotbed of young Alpine talent,” says SLTG managing director Bauernberger. And not just because this region has produced the world's best skiers of their generation over the past decades, from Annemarie Moser-Pröll to Hermann Maier to Marcel Hirscher. “We have been the clear number one destination for winter sports weeks in Austria for decades; most school children make their first turns in the snow on our slopes.”

Number one for winter sports weeks in Austria

Even though the end of compulsory school ski courses in the mid-1990s was a turning point, the numbers have stabilized again in the last 15 years (excluding the pandemic, of course), according to surveys by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMWBF). Accordingly, of the approximately 3,000 winter sports weeks held annually, by far the most - namely more than 40 percent - take place in SalzburgerLand. Obertauern, Saalbach Hinterglemm, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Radstadt, St. Johann im Pongau and Wagrain-Kleinarl are particularly popular destinations. Saalbach is the “school ski course capital” with around 200,000 overnight stays as part of winter sports weeks.
(Source: Winter Sports Week Service Center)

Saalbach Hinterglemm: 100 ski instructors free of charge for schools

Starting this season, there will be a special campaign in Saalbach Hinterglemm in collaboration with the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) and the local youth guesthouses to motivate even more schools to organize winter sports weeks: 100 ski instructors will be provided free of charge per season, who accompany a group of beginners on a school ski course. Background: Experience has shown that beginners in particular need professional support in order to make rapid progress and thus promote fun in skiing.

Affordable vacation for families

Salzburg's winter sports resorts and cable car companies also look at young talent outside of school ski courses. Especially in economically difficult times, attractive offers and holiday packages are put together for families in order to keep access to winter holidays and skiing as low as possible.

Early bird discounts and season tickets

A special tip, especially in economically challenging times, are early bird discounts that many ski areas in SalzburgerLand offer when purchasing a ski ticket early online. Season tickets such as the Salzburg Super Ski Card, which combines 2,815 kilometers of slopes in 22 ski regions in SalzburgerLand and neighboring federal states, are also particularly attractive for frequent skiers.

SalzburgerLand “branch office” in North Rhine-Westphalia

SalzburgerLand also looks after young talent on the slopes in the important market of Germany - with an unusual cooperation. In the most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the SLTG has been operating a “branch office” together with five Salzburg partner regions for many years through cooperation with the Alpenpark Neuss. Alpine flair from SalzburgerLand and its winter sports regions can be seen and felt everywhere, from the restaurants to the outdoor park to the ski hall, which has been voted “Best Ski Hall in Europe” several times and recently again. But the most important thing: In Neuss, around 35,000 children and young people go on skis for the first time every year.

Johannes Janz, managing partner at Alpenpark Neuss, sums up the potential and benefits of this cooperation for SalzburgerLand and its regions: “Around 70 percent of visitors to Alpenpark Neuss regularly go on a skiing holiday. SalzburgerLand is their first choice - according to a guest survey, around 40 percent have already been guests here at least once." Janz is also proud of the sustainability project that makes the Alpine Park CO2-neutral. “We actually produce more energy than we use on site.” This is made possible by, among other things, a large-scale photovoltaic system on the roof, our own combined heat and power plant and intelligent heat recovery. In addition to the ski hall, the entire building with restaurants, sports retail, conference rooms and the 4* superior Hotel Fire & Ice with more than 100 rooms will also be operated in a climate-neutral manner.

Fit for the future with an environmentally friendly journey

Keyword climate neutrality – this is also an important topic in SalzburgerLand in order to make the destination attractive and fit for the future for the next generation. LABG Hans Scharfetter: “Our regions are already implementing numerous measures to sustainably protect the environment. We are also continuing to work on improving public transport offerings in order to make mobility in our state as climate-neutral as possible.”

Three new direct connections from Vienna to Pinzgau

In this context, the SLTG is also cooperating this winter with the important rail transport providers in the local markets, Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB. Important for guests from Vienna and Eastern Austria: From December 15, 2023, two new direct connections will run every weekend from Vienna to Pinzgau (including Zell am See and Saalfelden) all year round. In the high-frequency weeks of the winter season (December 16, 2023 - April 7, 2024), this offer will be supplemented by a third direct connection.
Together with the Salzburg holiday regions, attractive offers are also put together for a holiday with a train journey. >> The offers are summarized here.

Snälltaget: Night train for guests from Scandinavia

The night train offer for ski vacationers from Scandinavia is now in its third season. From Malmö in Sweden via Copenhagen in Denmark it goes via Hamburg directly to the Salzburg ski areas. The offer is in high demand again this year, as Snälltaget reports - bookings are currently even higher than the previous season.