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ItalianoUpdated 15.11.2022
From travelling by public transport to accommodation with the green seal of approval and restaurants with regional products to winter activities with a small ecological footprint: Those who want to take a sustainable holiday will find more and more options in Tyrol.
Reaching your destination with a small ecological footprint: Environmentally friendly arrival
Travel comfortably without stress and traffic jams: In order to protect its living and recreational space, Tyrol has been promoting travel by rail for many years and offers guests attractive direct day and night connections from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland. In addition to the existing offers, from winter 2022/23 the WESTbahn will run for the first time from Vienna with stops in Kufstein and Wörgl to Innsbruck. Deutsche Bahn, on the other hand, is launching a new, year-round direct connection from Frankfurt to Innsbruck and extending the "Ski Express Tirol" ICE connection from Hamburg to St. Anton am Arlberg. Via the Munich hub, holidaymakers also have quick and easy daily connections from all over Germany. ÖBB brings guests from eastern Austria and Switzerland to Tyrol several times a day in comfort and in an environmentally friendly manner.
Once in Tyrol, the bahnhofshuttle.tirol comfortably takes guests from the most important railway stations in Tyrol directly to their accommodation. With the regional bus connections of the Verkehrsverbund Tirol (VVT), guests travel through Tyrol in an environmentally friendly way during their stay. Good to know: Almost all regions in Tyrol also offer guest cards in winter, with which guests can use the regional as well as ski buses in the region free of charge. Detailed information on travelling to Tyrol and on-site mobility can be found at www.tirol.at/anreise-mit-dem-zug.
Eat and sleep consciously: sustainable accommodation
Fresh produce from the farm next door, stylish rooms from regional craftsmen, natural care products in the room and climate-neutral to boot: More and more Tyrolean hosts are committed to sustainable tourism, which is also confirmed by the Austrian Eco-label.
For example, the BIO Hotel Leutascherhof near Seefeld in Tyrol shows how it can work: The 4-star establishment in Leutasch was recently awarded as one of the first climate-neutral hotels in Tyrol. The certification is the reward for years of consistent efforts towards more environmental compatibility and sustainable management. The hotel has been a certified BIO hotel since 2008 and since then has also been addressing the issue of CO2 reduction in all areas of the hotel. Those establishments that are listed among the "Bio-Hotels Tirol" are also consciously committed to the environment. They rely on regional products and often also offer vegetarian and vegan cuisine, use natural materials and draw electricity from renewable energy sources. On top of that, many of them are family-run.
Under the "Bewusst Tirol" project, numerous hotels and businesses can be found that have received the distinction of being a certified regionally conscious business and thus want to promote the use of local food in Tyrolean hotels and restaurants and strengthen the cooperation between tourism and agriculture. Sustainable holidays can also be enjoyed in the member businesses of Urlaub am Bauernhof, where organic farms in particular focus on regionality and sustainability, as well as in the Alpine Hosts, where, for example, regional breakfasts are a priority. And also the member establishments of the "Tiroler Wirtshäuser" (Tyrolean Inns) consciously set an example - with a strong focus on regionality in terms of food and suppliers.
Last but not least, each individual guest can also make a valuable contribution: for example, by using electricity and water responsibly, eating food consciously or foregoing daily towel changes and room cleaning.
A clear conscience: skiing with respect for the environment
Not only accommodations, but also ski resorts and lift facilities are increasingly committed to sustainability in winter tourism. For example, the Tyrolean cable car companies invest considerably in the modernisation of facilities and in the use of renewable energy every year.
A best-practice example in terms of sustainability is the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis ski resort, where a sustainability coordinator has been working on the topic of environmental protection for a few months now. Among other things, many of the restaurants in the ski resort are powered by solar energy, and fossil fuels are mostly dispensed with completely. In the Leithe Wirt restaurant, for example, the custom-built heat pump serves both the building's heating system and the refrigeration system for food. There has been extensive cooperation between the mountain railway gastronomy and the local farmers for years, so that livestock and cheese produced on the alpine pastures are bought up and served in the restaurants and huts in the ski area. In addition, the village of Serfaus is traffic-calmed and connected by the Serfaus village underground from the car park on the outskirts of the village via the church and the village to the cable car.
In 2021, Kaunertal was the first Austrian destination to be awarded the title of "Best Tourism Village by UNWTO". The reason for this: the sustainable and future-oriented tourism that has been practised here for a long time. Some initiatives have already been implemented for the winter season, others are being planned in the short and medium term. One project is the Weißseejochbahn, which runs "green" because its energy comes from hydropower and a photovoltaic system is integrated into its building shell. In addition, another photovoltaic system was built at the Karlesjochbahn valley station. Currently, the most resource-efficient piste grooming equipment on the market is being tested in order to implement the sustainability concept in the area of piste grooming as well. Together with the University of Innsbruck and other glacier ski resorts, Kaunertal is also working on a more ecologically compatible alternative for plastic films in the snow farming sector. The big goal of all these and other initiatives is the transformation into an energy-autonomous ski area with renewable energies.
In the Pitztal Valley, too, numerous initiatives show how important it is to treat the environment with care. In ongoing operations at the Pitztal Glacier, special attention is paid to the careful use of natural snow at alpine altitudes. In addition, 1/3 of the electricity is generated by a photovoltaic system.
Bergbahnen See in the Paznaun Valley is also setting a good example. For several years now, the ski area has been using snow-making equipment that produces clean green electricity - four times as much as is actually needed.
On foot through snow-covered landscapes: gentle winter sports
The Tyrolean winter is sustainable and environmentally friendly, especially far away from the pistes and lifts. Whether it's snowshoeing through snow-covered forests, winter hiking to secluded vantage points or tobogganing with a stop at a rustic hut: it's easy to holiday in Tyrol in harmony with nature and still enjoy the winter to the fullest. Many Tyrolean regions have consciously specialised in gentle winter tourism and offer guests an appropriate range of outdoor activities. Particularly attractive are excursions to Tyrol's nature parks and the Hohe Tauern National Park, where guests can get the best insights into the most pristine side of Tyrol on guided tours.
The best tips for regions and tours that invite you to enjoy gentle winter sports in the snowy mountains of Tyrol can be found at www.tirol.at/winterurlaub.
Initiatives for attractive work in tourism
However, initiatives for sustainability in Tyrol are not only found in ski resorts - and not only for guests. Employee initiatives have also become an important tool to develop the tourism industry sustainably and to lead it into the future. Best practice examples include the "Kaiserschaft" project of the Wilder Kaiser region or the "Job-Life Achensee" initiative of the region of the same name.
More about sustainable holidays in Tyrol can be found at www.tirol.at/nachhaltiger-urlaub.