Upper Austria's Tourism Industry Optimistic About Coming Winter Season

Upper Austria stands for family winter sports. Upper Austria's tourism and leisure industry can look back on a successful year in 2023. “The tourism statistics recorded around 1.84 million arrivals and 4.9 million overnight stays from May to September 2023.

That is 8.8 percent more guests and 5.1 percent more overnight stays compared to the previous year. “A pleasing result that even exceeds the previous record summer of 2019,” says Economics and Tourism Regional Councilor Markus Achleitner and looks forward to the start of the winter season with confidence.

The best summer season ever followed the second best winter on record with 1.14 million guests and 3.07 million overnight stays. This means that winter tourism has returned to its long-term growth path. “17 percent more winter guests, 16 percent more summer guests and 20 percent more overnight stays across all seasons within the last ten years impressively demonstrate the increasing importance of the tourism industry for Upper Austria, which contributes ten percent to the gross regional product and employs 41,000 full-time workers in the state,” emphasizes Achleitner. Around 39 percent of overnight stays in Upper Austria occur in the winter season.

Upper Austria is promoting youth work

Upper Austria's winter sports regions play the important role of compact and family-friendly holiday destinations with short journeys within Austria's leading international winter destination. “Around 80 percent of our winter guests come from the immediate vicinity, especially from Upper Austria and Austria, neighboring Germany and the Czech Republic. If Austria stands for the premium class of winter holidays, Upper Austria, with its quick accessibility, warm hospitality and family-friendly offers, is the compact class for family winter holidays,” states Provincial Councilor Achleitner and adds: “This means that Upper Austria plays a central role in youth work. Many families, children and young people in Upper Austria come into contact with winter sports and active, healthy exercise in the mountains for the first time.”

New accommodations, new offers

Investments in the tourism infrastructure ensure the quality of the offering and are a prerequisite for the sustainable positive development of the tourism industry. New hotels and accommodation providers have recently opened throughout the state or are about to start operations, such as the “TRIFORÊT alpin.resort” in Hinterstoder.

Innovative offers strengthen winter tourism

When designing new and innovative offerings, Upper Austria's winter sports areas focus on the targeted revitalization of the off-seasons, combining skiing with alternative winter sports offerings and moving towards year-round mountain tourism. “This innovative further development with a view to an economically viable year-round leisure offer apart from the separation of winter and summer seasons is also part of the new state tourism strategy 2030, which we want to implement together from 2024,” emphasizes Achleitner. Examples of current product innovations in winter sports areas are:

• Of course 365 Ticket: A year-round ticket for the Dachstein West ski regions, the Freesport Arena Dachstein Krippenstein Obertraun and the Feuerkogel in Ebensee. The Natural 365 ticket is available for Dachstein plus Club members at a price of 599 euros and is also valid for the summer operation of the cable cars (valid from the date of purchase). www.dachstein.at
• Ski holiday with a free day of skiing in the Pyhrn-Priel holiday region: At the start of the season in December, you will also receive a free day ticket for the Hinterstoder and Wurzeralm ski areas if you stay three nights or more. There are three ticket offers to choose from, from the “Comfortable” variant with a single day ski pass for three nights to the “Maximal” variant with a ski pass for all days of stay including arrival and departure days. Can be booked until December 21, 2023. www.urlaubsregion-pyhrn-priel.at
• Non-stop access to the ski slopes: Anyone who books their winter holiday directly via the Pyhrn-Priel holiday region website can now reserve their ski passes and print them out on site to save time at the Hinterstoder-Wurzeralm Bergbahnen ticket machines. You can hit the slopes non-stop with your existing KeyCard. This can be topped up immediately when booking. www.urlaubsregion-pyhrn-priel.at
• Snow & Surf in Ebensee: The globally unique ticket combines a three-, four- or five-hour ski pass in the Feuerkogel ski area with floodlit surfing on Europe's largest river wave "THE.RIVERWAVE" at a price starting at 55.30 euros per person. https://feuerkogel.info
• Snowshoe and tourer tickets: The Dachstein West ski region is expanding its offering of alternative winter sports with snowshoe and tourer tickets. The touring ticket is valid for the Atomic Backland ski touring route in Russbach. The snowshoe ticket includes the ascent and descent with the Panorama Jet Zwieselalm in Gosau and rental equipment. www.dachstein.at
  3+1 ticket in March at Hochficht: In March, sunny skiing in the Hochficht ski area in the Bohemian Forest is worth it with four days of skiing fun for the price of three. www.hochficht.at
• Joint winter campaign pools forces

In the winter of 2023/24, Upper Austria's top ski areas (Dachstein West ski region, Freesports Arena Dachstein Krippenstein, Feuerkogel, Kasberg. Hinterstoder, Wurzeralm and Hochficht), the DachsteinSalzkammergut, Pyhrn-Priel, Traunsee-Almtal and Böhmerwald tourism associations and Upper Austria Tourism are joining forces to get guests excited about winter holidays in Upper Austria with a joint campaign. A broad package of market measures will be implemented in close coordination in the central source markets of Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

Mag. Andreas WINKELHOFER, Managing Director Upper Austria Tourism:

After a successful tourism year in 2023, there is a good chance that the positive development will continue in winter 2023/24. The current trend is that the Christmas and semester holidays in Upper Austria's holiday regions are already being booked well. However, free capacities are still available. “We want to carry the momentum from the last few months into the winter season that is now beginning. For the most important foreign market, the German Travel Analysis 2024 shows that a third of Germans have firm travel intentions for the coming winter - with a further increase compared to the previous year. Austria remains firmly at the forefront of the most popular foreign travel destinations for Germans. Our guests are driven by a longing for nature, relaxation and open space. We want to satisfy this longing and inspire as many holidaymakers as possible for winter in Upper Austria,” explains Mag. Andreas Winkelhofer, Managing Director of Upper Austria Tourism.

Upper Austria benefits from the diversity of its winter offers for different needs and target groups. “Today the descent on the perfectly prepared slope. Tomorrow a snowshoe hike, a ski tour or tobogganing. And then relax in the thermal baths, take a leisurely stroll through the Christmas market or end the day with regional specialties. Every guest can make their vacation a personal break and give their stay an individual touch,” explains Winkelhofer.

The campaign for the 2023/24 winter season relies on radio spots, high-reach PR measures, online and video marketing as well as information screens in public transport to strengthen the visibility and presence of Upper Austria as a winter holiday destination. An interactive landing page playfully guides potential guests to their personal offer for a winter holiday in Upper Austria. “The proven good cooperation and cooperation between the tourism partners creates synergies and strengthens the common message. Cooperations with strong partners from business and sport also open up new target groups for us and act as strong multipliers with their own channels,” emphasizes Winkelhofer.

Vienna is looking for Upper Austrian skiers

Together with Fischer Ski, Oberösterreich Tourismus is launching the newly designed promotional campaign “Find the Skier” in the important target market of Vienna in mid-November. Several skiers will be fully adjusted and equipped by Fischer in the center of Vienna. Promoters draw attention to the campaign, distribute mulled cider and advertising material and provide information. Fischer Ski is increasing the reach of the campaign via its own communication channels. Whoever finds the skiers will have the chance to win winter holidays in Upper Austria or ski equipment from Fischer. A brand collaboration including a competition with a total reach of around two million contacts will be implemented with BIPA Austria in January 2024.

Online banners on the BIPA website, newsletter and social media posts generate additional reach for the campaign content. In the Czech Republic, the market measures for winter holidays in Upper Austria are being strengthened through a cooperation including a competition with the largest shopping center in South Bohemia, IGY Centrum in Budweis. In the run-up to Christmas from mid-November to mid-December, around 35,000 visitors can be reached here every day.

The existing collaborations on summer training camps with the German Bundesliga clubs Fortuna Düsseldorf and Eintracht Frankfurt will be expanded in winter in order to promote winter holidays in Upper Austria via the clubs' channels and in promotional campaigns on match days. Holiday guests from this region will have an additional travel option just in time for the start of the winter season with the new direct flight connection from Düsseldorf to Linz. The SkyAlps airline will connect the Ruhr area with Linz three times a week, as well as several direct express train connections.

Hospitable, close, family-friendly School ski courses get children and young people moving

The campaign emphasizes the positioning of Upper Austria's top ski areas as family-friendly, obvious winter holiday destinations. In addition, Upper Austria scores with honest hospitality, its quick and easy accessibility and tailor-made family offers with a good price-performance ratio. “With the current winter communication for the local market under the motto 'Sei gscheid, foa ned z'weid', Upper Austria is drawing attention to the short journey and fair pricing as central competitive advantages and is focusing on sustainability and family orientation. Because children who come to Upper Austria with their families for a winter holiday today can get excited about healthy exercise in nature and in the snow. They are the skiers and winter holidaymakers of tomorrow,” says Winkelhofer, emphasizing the importance of developing young talent for the winter tourism of tomorrow.

Above all, school ski courses are an opportunity to familiarize children and young people with winter sports. In total, around 12,000 Upper Austrian students take part in school ski courses. Upper Austria's tourism industry can score points in this area with innovative accommodation concepts. Georg Schürrer, for example, positioned his Lindenhof in Spital am Pyhrn as a “youth’s paradise”.

Schürrer emphasizes the importance of school sports for the development of children and young people and offers “experiential educational exercise” as a year-round product in his company, with skiing and snowboarding as the main sports in winter. From his point of view, the desire for children to be able to experience a week of winter sports has gained massively in value in recent years. Getting young people excited about physical activity right from the start has positive effects on society as a whole, which becomes healthier and more active.

Winter sports promote physical and mental health

Because winter sports, and especially sports in the snow, help us get away from everyday life - and are extremely healthy. Especially for our brain, as neuroscientist and author Dr. Manuela Macedonia explains in the current episode of the podcast “Brain simply explained”: Exercise in the snow, if it lasts a few hours, is a blessing for the brain. It stimulates the release of nerve growth factor. This allows us to learn, think and decide better. This miracle substance also reduces susceptibility to depression and dementia. In addition, skiing and all types of exercise in the snow and in the great outdoors are the basis for excellent blood circulation in the brain. The better it is, the more efficient our thinking organs are and our minds are more alert. If we regularly move a little outside the comfort zone - for example on a ski tour or snowshoeing - growth processes start, the vessels become more efficient and new ones are formed.

Sustainable arrival for your winter holiday

The ÖBB holiday express from Vienna to Hinterstoder, Windischgarsten and Spital am Pyhrn has established itself as an exemplary model for sustainable public travel to winter holidays in Upper Austria. In the 2023/24 winter season, the Pyhrn-Priel holiday region will also be accessible on weekends from December 16th to April 6th, stress-free by train in just two and a half hours from the federal capital.

Ing. Helmut HOLZINGER, board director Hinterstoder-Wurzeralm Bergbahnen AG and specialist group chairman for cable cars WKO Upper Austria:

Affordable skiing for the whole family

Promoting young talent secures the basis of winter tourism. Upper Austria's ski areas are well prepared for the 2023/24 winter season. The first snow has fallen, and as soon as the temperatures drop, snowmaking starts. “We are confident that we will be able to start weekend operations soon. Thanks to the new Hössbahn in Hinterstoder - 23 million euros were invested here - the ski area has gained in every respect: the customers are satisfied, the cable car has been very well received," says Ing. Helmut Holzinger, board member of HinterstoderWurzeralm Bergbahnen, giving an outlook the coming ski winter.

Ticket prices have increased by an average of 7.5 percent. At the time the increase was determined, inflation was more than 10 percent. However, many of the visitors already buy the tickets online and save 3 euros. This means that the day ticket costs 56 euros in Hinterstoder and 53 euros on the Wurzeralm. In addition, Upper Austria's ski areas have long created good and affordable products for frequent skiers with season tickets, such as the Sunnycard or the Snow & Fun Card, which are increasing every year. Skiing from 13 euros for 20 days of skiing is an inexpensive offer for families. These ticket variants are accompanied by a variety of promotions that are popular, such as the family Sundays on the Wurzeralm. The numerous small ski areas also play an important role in promoting young talent for winter sports. With day ticket prices starting at just 17 euros, they are the local provider when it comes to skiing for many families from Upper Austria. “We are convinced that skiing will continue to be one of the most important pillars of winter tourism in Upper Austria’s tourist regions in the future.

Through the continuous cooperation of all people and companies involved, sporting activity, joy and sustainability are lived. Our children in particular should always have the opportunity to develop their passion - we must support them in this. Our guests attach great importance to quality. The aim must be to achieve a balance between affordability and financial viability,” says Holzinger.

Photovoltaics and bio-local heat make winter sports more sustainable

The topic of sustainability has been important to the Hinterstoder-Wurzeralm Bergbahnen for years. As leading tourist companies in the Pyhrn-Priel holiday region, the two ski areas serve as an important role model. For decades there has been very close cooperation with nature and environmental protection in the further development of business activities. From public travel options to the ecological footprint, from the natural approach to construction projects to the use of green electricity. Recently, around 2,000 new trees were planted to replace the cleared forest area as part of the construction of the Hössbahn last year. The company is expected to be energy self-sufficient by 2028. For this reason, we continually invest in photovoltaics and analyze other energy sources. “For us as ski area operators, the commissioning of the local heating power plant is a further and important step towards the sustainable future of an entire region. The high efficiency of the system makes it possible for the catering establishments on the mountain to switch from oil to organic local heat. A pioneering achievement that is only possible through the continuous cooperation of all the people and companies involved,” Holzinger is convinced.

Mag. Franz FÖTTINGER, CEO Fischer Sports GmbH:

Top infrastructure and innovations for the ski winter

Support for skiing as a cultural asset that creates identity

Austria is associated with skiing all over the world. “In addition to all stakeholders – from tourism to the cable car industry to the ski industry, politicians in particular also have a responsibility to promote skiing as a cultural asset that creates identity and to contribute to its further development. At this point I would like to express my sincere thanks to the support of Markus Achleitner, State Councilor for Economic Affairs and Tourism.

The free lift tickets for winter sports weeks in Upper Austria can only be a start. At the end of the day, young people all over Austria should have the opportunity to ski for free, just like it is possible for many other sports,” says Mag. Franz Föttinger, CEO of Fischer Sports GmbH.

Why is Austria known all over the world as “Skination”? On the one hand, due to the success of Austrian athletes. This is where Fischer and the entire Austrian ski industry come into play, which puts considerable resources into development and racing. The cable car industry is at least as important for Austria's reputation as the number one skiing nation. The slopes and lifts in Austria - and especially in Upper Austria - are the best in the world. After quality and snow reliability, the industry has recently invested heavily in sustainability in order to further expand its lead.

Winter and ski sports as an economic factor

In Austria, winter and ski sports have a very strong economic significance. “More than 250,000 employees make their living from the winter and ski sports industry in our country. Outdoor and mountain sports - and therefore also skiing - are growing worldwide and are also showing a positive trend in the medium term. There are around 50 to 60 million skiers worldwide, and the market is growing again. There is an increasing number of 'returnees' and the growing number of 'newcomers' also makes us look positively towards the future. Fortunately, winter holidays and therefore skiing as such are becoming even more important and important in society,” summarizes Föttinger.

Optimistic outlook for the ski industry

It is encouraging that the supply chains have stabilized again. This means that all models should again be sufficiently available and available from your trusted sports retailer. The innovations continue to come strongly across the ski boot sector. Based on better “walkable” soles and inspiration from ski touring, the new generation of ski boots is performance-oriented and equipped with a BOA® closure system. Ski touring suffered somewhat last year due to the mild winter. “However, we assume that the sport has become firmly established and that this trend will be sustainable. Ski touring is 'here to stay'. “The infrastructure in the vicinity of the slopes is giving the sport more and more breadth,” Föttinger is convinced.