Austria – Responsible Skiing
Best Practices
Dieter Scharf
Austrian National Tourist Office
London
How the world has changed.
The change of values
traditional
materialistic
postmaterialistic
postmodern
Harmony in Life
Realism
Hedonism
Achievement
Reinvent onself
Knowledge
Fun and Pleasure
Independence
Networking
Individualism
Egotism
Superficiality
Material Prosperity
„Law and Order“
Safety
Sense of duty
Social Movements
(Peace, Women, Ecology)
Social Status
1950
Sense of duty
1970
Order
1990
Experience
Individualism
2010
Meaning of Life
Authenticity.
Re-grounding.
Fascinating Nature.
Urbanisation and Nature.
Sustainability.
Points of contact

Gathering
Information
Paperless Travel Shows
Getting there Austrian & Climate Austria
Accomodation Boutiquehotel Stadthalle
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Out and About/
Acitivities
Alpine Pearls
Departure
Graz promotes eco-friendly Taxis
Understanding of Sustainability.
• Tourism only works when it interlinks with the living and
working environment of the population
• Sustainability is important for the international positioning
of the „Destination Austria“
• Positive conditions precedent in Austria:
– Well-preserved Nature
– Structure of family-owned hotels – close relationship to
homeland and nature
– Tourism is the economical basis for the Alpine area
– Long tradition in environmental protection
– Alpine area is environment for living, economy & tourism
Target group.
The „Established-Postmaterialists“ (Sinus B12)
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Middle aged groups – 35 to 65
Mostly married – 3+ households with children
Above average education
Many professonials and senior employees, senior civil
servants, medium-size business proprietors/
entrepreneurs, self-employed,…
• Higher income and DINKS
• ABC1 stratum
Value orientated
Environmental protection/
In harmony with nature
Sustainability is very important to the target group
Sustainability in the Austrian Alps.
• Austrian Ecolabel
• Strict criterias
• Bio-Hotels – certified: 100% organic food
• Austrian Cable Car Association
• Carfree Skiresorts - Examples
• Serfaus (underground)
• Oberlech
• Werfenweng
• Green Meetings
• Congress Centre Alpbach
• Festivalhouse Bregenz
• Energy-efficency/ supporting local business/ social
responsability/ environmentally friendly journey
Best Practice – Vorarlberg.
Vorarlberg, a holiday destination of 2,600 sqkm and a population of
360,000. Thanks to far-sighted planning, people enjoy a high quality
of living and outstanding recreational value. Vorarlberg is the most
sustainable of all alpine regions (MARS report).
• Energy-efficiency – self-sustaining in energy by 2050
– Passive houses
– Biomass plants
• E5-Programme – sponsoring of local energy-saving measures
• T5-Programme – sponsoring and supporting of sustainable
measures of hotels
• Food „Made in Vorarlberg“ – increases the economic benefit of
tourism
Examples.
Environmentally friendly tourism-regions
• Bregenzerwald (regional products, regional handcraft)
– „Cheese Road“ – preserving regional agriculture
– „Mellauer Werkstatt“ (reviving old crafts in new ways)
– Shingle production
• Großes Walsertal
– Biosphere park – leading region in use of renewable energy
• Kleinwalsertal
– „Green mobility“ – free buses for tourists
• Montafon valley
– Montafoner Genussbetriebe (regional cuisine)
Summer – Winter.
• Alpine tourism in Austria = tourism with 2 seasons
(big part is summer)
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Intact Nature – Nature & Culture & Regeneration
„Living Village“ – not just hotels and apartment buildings…
„living agriculture“ – farmer as a conservationist
Farmer as a service provider for tourism
– Farm Holidays
– Maintaining mountain pastures
• Nationalparks
Austrian Cable Car Association.
• Landscape development- Infrastructure
• Strict and integrated examination – refurbishment and
rebuilding (ecological and economical impact)
• Construction of cable cars must be state-of-the-art
• High investments (infrastructure + technical snow) –
Emphasis on energy efficiency
• Learning to take responsability – respect your limits
Best Practice.
Alpine Pearls
Best Practice.
Best Practice: Alpine Pearls, example Werfenweng
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Marketing group „Holiday from your car“
Werfweng-Shuttle
ELOIS – „Call-Taxi“ at the resort
Werfenweng „Night-Car“
Electro - fun-vehicles
bicycles
Horse-carriages
„Barefoot trails“
Power generation by e.g. Photovoltaik, solar trail
Free excursions (Salzburg, Hohenwerfen)
„climate neutral holiday“
Winner of many awards: NETS-Award, Energy Globe
Best Practice.
Naturidyll Hotels
The group aims to use environmentally-friendy measures in and around the hotels and
to preserve the typical ambience of the region. That includes nature conservation, the
use and promotion of regional specialities and the supply of sporting activities.
Due to their efforts the member hotels were awarded with the „Austrian Ecolabel“.
Sustainability in tourism.
Best Practice: Boutiquehotel Stadthalle Vienna
Sustainability in tourism.
Best Practice: Pielachtal valley, Mostviertel
Summary.
Future
Today
The guest
Change in society
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Establishing a thoughtful relationship
with fellow humans and environment
Demand for sustainable travel
increases
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Austria already has a „sustainable image“ => perfect starting point
Image
Image
The product
for product development and communication