News
Ski area for the Himalayas
The highest ski slopes in the northern hemisphere are shortly to be built in Gulmarg on the slopes of Mount Afarwat in the Indian part of Kashmir. With a budget of 2.5 million euros, a French company is planning to build ski lifts and a 2.5-kilometre-long ski run at an altitude of over 4500 meters above sea-level.
New EU project: AlpNaTour
The Interreg IIIB AlpNaTour Project has been up and running since the start of this year. The Project focuses on practical ways of integrating recreation and tourism concerns in management planning processes of Natura 2000 sites. The Project is to provide a guideline and checklists for the management of Natura 2000 sites influenced by the economic interests of tourism and recreation.
Japan: Many skiing regions on verge of bankruptcy
Japan's winter resorts are in crisis. Since the boom years in the early 1990s the number of winter sports enthusiasts has dropped by more than a third. Even on weekends where snow is abundant many of the lifts remain closed. One ski resort in two is on the verge of bankruptcy. And yet in recent years only 4 out of a total of 722 ski areas have closed down; this is because Japanese legislation requires that, in the event of closure, operators dismantle the lift facilities and restore the ski slopes.
The Alps as a wellness region - New EU project
January 2005 saw the launch of the Alpshealthcomp Project aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of the alpine region as a health and wellness destination. The partners of Alpshealthcomp, a project of the EU Community Initiative Interreg IIIB Alpine Space Programme, come from Italy, Austria and Germany, the project itself being endowed with around one million euros.
Turin Winter Olympics 2006: Government to fill financial gap
Less than one year before the start of the 2006 Winter Olympics uncertainty still prevails as to how to fill the financial gap of around €180 m that has resulted from a lack of revenue. Moreover the internal disputes within the Games' Organising Committee that have now been going on for several months have reached a new high with the forced resignations of both the Chairman and his deputy.
Research on the economic significance of the landscape
What is the monetary value of the Alpine landscape for the resident populations and tourists? This question was studied in the framework of Swiss National Research Programme NFP48 "Landscapes and Living Spaces in the Alps".
New publication on mountain sports in the Alps
Mountain sports in the Alps are the focus of the latest English/French publication in the series "Revue de Géographie Alpine/Journal of Alpine Research", which contains five essays from the fields of cultural geography, tourism economy, and sport- and ethno-sociology. Thomas Bieger examines the patterns of demand on the traditional Swiss winter travel market and concludes that while the number of winter sports has greatly increased, demand is concentrated on just a few offers.
Record investments in French winter sport areas
In 2004 France's winter sport resorts invested 348 million euros - more than ever before - in refurbishment and upgrade measures. In the last ten years, such investments have increased by about 200 percent compared with only 50 percent for ski area turnover. The number of skier days per season is now stagnating at 63 million.
Satellite handsets for Scotland's first mountain museum
If two Scottish visitor centres have their way, tourists in the Highlands will soon be walking about with hand-held computers. That will help turn Schiehallion Mountain into a dedicated mountain museum, and Helmsdale will become a centre for Scottish gold-panning tours. The postcard-sized computers employ a technology that is similar to the GPS system to be found in modern cars, and they are programmed like traditional museum audio guides.
Certification system for sustainable hotel establishments
The Ibex Label is to be used to certify Swiss hotel establishments which excel through particularly sustainable and social management. Depending on achievements one to five of these Ibexes are to be awarded by the Association for Economy, Ecology and Society.
Hydrogen-powered piste vehicles in the Alps
The Swiss association Swiss Alps 3000 has launched a new campaign aimed at zero-emissions mobility in the Alps. As part of the campaign it presented the prototype of a hydrogen-powered piste vehicle. The first vehicle of this type was tested during winter 2003/2004.
2004 Award for Sustainable Tourism: Take part now!
The authorities of the département of Haute-Savoie/F is presenting an award for the most sustainable tourist project as part of the 6th Tourism Summit of Chamonix Mont-Blanc.
New tourist complexes in high mountain regions
The Ukrainian project at Bukovel reflects the global trend towards developing increasingly vast ski areas:
REMOTION - International conference on environmentally friendly mobility concepts and tourism
REMOTION 2004 is an expert conference that invites participants to consider and discuss the future prospects of mobility in tourism. It is being held at Werfenweng/A from 19 to 21 September and aims to bring together tourism destinations and manufacturers of environmentally sound transport and drive technologies.
Mountain regions and the elderly and disabled
Services for the elderly and the accessibility of accommodation by the disabled are the two key issues of a seminar at Feltre in Italy on July 2. The seminar is being held as part of the Interreg IIIA Programme Montagna Accessibile (Mountains Within Reach) of the Belluno Province and the Federal Province of Tyrol/A.
Switzerland: internet timetable for mountain enthusiasts
The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) has posted a new German and French internet page at www.alpenonline.ch , to help mountaineers plan their tours.
Restriction on new holiday homes
In future all new properties built in Zermatt/CH must have a principal residence share of 30%. This measure is designed to prevent Zermatt becoming a ghost town during the off-season.
K2: Environmental impact of anniversary treks
To mark the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the K2 summit in the Himalayas the Italian Alpine Association is organising several treks to the mountain's base camps. Up to 60,000 people are expected to pass through some of the intermediate camps this year. The problems this causes include the insufficiently rapid degradation of biological waste at high altitude, the pollution of rivers, or damage to the vegetation through the gathering of firewood. A number of expeditions are also to make greater use of helicopters.
Invitation to compete for the International Environment Award
Exemplary environmental protection projects from all over the world that are closely linked to tourism are eligible for the International Environment Award. The Award is presented each year by the German Association of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators.
Environmental management for the Everest region
The University of Torino/I and the Ev-K2-CNR Committee are currently conducting an international co-operation project called "Everest: A Remedy Against Damage Caused by Tourism" in the Everest region of Nepal. The aim is to develop an environmental management methodology to be able to lessen the negative impact of the 70,000 or so western tourists a year in the sensitive eco-systems of the Everest region.
St Moritz: the AlpenAkademie and a tourism, energy and agriculture alliance
The Swiss region of Engadine/St Moritz is focusing on the appeal of educational tourism, with the founding of the AlpenAkademie by the Academia Engiadina. A range of offers including language and computer courses as well as tourism, tour guide and management studies are already in place, and others are in preparation.
Presentation of an international umbrella brand for leisure & fitness holidays in the Alps
From the end of this year 80 businesses from Bavaria, Austria, Switzerland and southern Tyrol are to join forces and carry the new umbrella brand Alpine Wellness International GmbH.
Taking the train and bus to the ski slopes proves popular
More and more skiers are making use of the ski trains and buses operated by the Vorarlberg Transport Authority. The main ski resorts of Austria's westernmost federal province, i.e. the Montafon, the Kloster valley and the Arlberg region, can all be reached by public transport. The good results achieved this season have prompted the Transport Authority to expand its offers as far afield as southern Germany, among others.
"Green" holidays in the Alps for Dutch tourists
From this summer several Dutch tour operators, including the TUI subsidiary Holland International and the hiking and cycling holiday specialists SNP, are offering "Green Package Tours" to Switzerland and Austria.
Extended mountain stays are good for you
Mountain air has a beneficial effect also on patients with cardiovascular problems. The optimum effect is achieved at altitudes of 2000 metres above sea level and after a minimum stay of three weeks.
Nepal: Sports event in aid of the local population
The Friendship Everest Skyrace was held for the first time in Nepal's Khumbu valley on 18 November. The event's main objective was to support the school in the remote village of Thame, and it attracted 150 competitors from Nepal and all over the world.
UNO confirms global warming poses threat to winter sports everywhere
According to a new study on the economic repercussions of the climate change on winter sports many low-altitude ski resorts are set to face financial difficulties or even bankruptcy due to global warming. The study was commissioned by the UN Environmental Program and presented at the World Conference on Sport and the Environment in Turin/I on 2 December.
A brochure on "nature-compatible winter tours"
Over the past few years nature-based winter activities have increased throughout the Alps. More and more these activities are spilling into regions which have hitherto been spared the impact of leisure tourism. In its new brochure entitled "Nature-compatible Winter Tours" the Club Arc Alpin (CAA), the umbrella organisation of the eight alpine associations operating throughout the Alps, offers simple, easy-to-apply tips for winter sports enthusiasts on how to adopt a proactive approach and prevent a negative impact on nature and the landscape.
The Alps are becoming more and more of a theme park
On 29 November Coca-Cola AG inaugurated its Alpen Club Micky Maus in the ski resort of Arosa/CH.
Italy: 2005 World Ski Championships a risk to national park
Preparations for the World Ski Championships in the upper Valtellina in 2005 are in upheaval. The projects for the resort of Santa Caterina Valfurva, which is to stage the women's races, have come under attack. Environmental associations believe that as the Santa Caterina Valfurva skiing region is situated in the Stilfserjoch National Park the environmental impact of the projects should be examined particularly thoroughly.