Winter tourism in the area of conflict
In mid-March, the Bolzano Chamber of Commerce and the Vitalpin association organised an event entitled "Winter tourism between people, nature and the economy". In view of climate and social change, this topic is more topical than ever. In recent decades, winter sports have brought prosperity to South Tyrol and the entire Alpine region, created jobs and preserved rural areas. However, current challenges such as climate change, increasing traffic, a lack of employees and rising resource prices require a critical debate.
Kick-off and keynote speech
Following introductory remarks by Michl Ebner, President of the Bolzano Chamber of Commerce, Harald Pechlaner, Head of the Centre for Advanced Studies at Eurac Research and Professor of Tourism at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, gave a keynote speech. Pechlaner emphasised: "In the developed European core markets, ski tourism has become a challenging business. Stagnation or a decline in users, ecological issues, price sensitivity and alternative offers are intensifying competition and making a reorientation necessary."
Discussed topics and viewpoints
Theresa Haid, Managing Director of Vitalpin, emphasised: "We want to bring about an objective, public discussion based on solid facts and a holistic approach. We will not separate what has always been connected: people, the economy as their livelihood and the Alps as their habitat."
Michael Oberhofer, Managing Director of Alpine Pearls, argued along the same lines. In the discussion with provincial farmer Antonia Egger, Theresa Haid from Vitalpin, Madeleine Rohrer from the umbrella organisation for nature and environmental protection and Helmut Sartori from the Association of Cable Car Operators in South Tyrol, he emphasised that a rethink is necessary in all areas.
The future belongs to sustainable quality tourism. I am convinced of that.
Challenges and future prospects
The panellists agreed that current challenges such as climate change and the increasing consumption of resources require a rethink in winter tourism. The aim is to find new solutions and take bold steps to combine theory and practice.
Sustainable approaches and solutions
A central point of the discussion was the development of strategies for sustainable quality tourism. This includes not only adapting tourism offers to ecological and economic conditions, but also promoting the responsible use of natural resources in the Alpine region.