In march 2024, a study trip to the Austrian winter sports destinations Werfenweng and Klimaberg-Katschberg took place as part of the Interreg Alpine Space project BeyondSnow under the motto “Visiting innovative pilot projects for sustainable winter tourism”. Both destinations are internationally recognised for their sustainable tourism initiatives.
The group of participants from the Deggendorf Institute of Technology, the pilot working areas of Großer Arber, Balderschwang, and Werfenweng first took a tour of Werfenweng and learned about the concept of the “Werfenweng soft mobility” (the rental system, car sharing, e-vehicles, etc.). Afterwards, the participants had an exchange with the representatives of the Werfenweng cable car company, followed by an uphill and downhill lift ride. In the afternoon, a BeyondSnow round table was held at which the experts from the Werfenweng tourism association, the pilot working areas of Großer Arber and Balderschwang, and the representatives of the destination of Weissensee discussed the future perspectives of winter tourism.
The next day, the Klimaberg-Katschberg concept was introduced, accompanied by a guided tour of the Klimaberg hotel “Das Katschberg”, which has been awarded the Austrian Ecolabel. Also, a “climate lunch” was served at the hotel. Then, the participants visited the Katschberg ski resort and exchanged experiences with the management of the Katschberg cable car company on the subject of sustainability measures in the ski resort. The study trip was concluded with a tour through the Katschberg Equestrian Centre and information on the use of “e4F Carbon Climate Soil” (carbon-enriched soils).
Thanks to the welcoming approach, the involvement of the stakeholders from Werfenweng and Katschberg, and the engagement of the participants, the study trip was a very insightful experience!
