Sustainable tourism concept at Lake Seefeld plateau

The state of Tyrol is supporting the Seefeld region in the development and implementation of a sustainable tourism concept as part of a pilot project, as LHStvin Ingrid Felipe announced today, Thursday: "Tourism is one of the key industries in Tyrol. Therefore, it is extremely important to orient this sector towards the future and to sustainability. The Seefeld region already meets numerous requirements for this and will be supported by the state of Tyrol with 85,000 euros as part of the economic stimulus package 2020 for this ambitious project." Through the establishment of a network of municipalities, businesses, and institutions, as well as the active involvement of the local population, this transformation process will be developed during the project period from August 2020 to October 2022 and will already be implemented in initial projects. "The objective of aligning tourism in the region sustainably and climate-neutrally will benefit not only the tourism businesses and guests, but above all the entire living environment on the Seefeld plateau," adds LHStvin Felipe.

On the way to more sustainability
Within the framework of the "Green Deal", action possibilities will be developed in five core areas – mobility and digitalization, preservation of nature and culture, valuable living space, local value creation and preservation of agriculture, resource-saving tourism, and strengthening of local circular economy – and implemented in innovative flagship projects. The Seefeld region's tourism association fully supports this development, as chairman Alois Seyrling confirms: "Enjoying an intact nature is for our guests probably the most important reason to spend their holidays here. Therefore, we see it as our duty to set the right course to preserve this for locals, guests, and employees. It is not contradictory to work sustainably while still offering professional tourism."

The tourism region has been focusing on year-round tourism for some time now, as Seyrling adds: "Nature-friendly sports such as cross-country skiing, e-biking, or year-round hiking, combined with good public transport connections, sustainable energy production, and the Naturpark Karwendel, give us a clear advantage." Christian Wandl from BIOHOTEL Leutascherhof has been focusing on regionality and sustainability in his business for years and is convinced of the path taken: "We know how sustainable tourism works and will provide hoteliers with finished 'tools' while intensifying collaboration with agriculture. We do not want to be satisfied with the creation of concepts or engage in greenwashing; we want a real change in the region and actively involve the population in this change of mindset."

Utilizing findings for other tourism regions
The Seefeld tourism region is particularly well-suited as a pilot region due to the existing infrastructure, as climate protection officer LHStvin Felipe explains: "The modern train station is used daily not only by commuters from the region as a mobility hub but also by international guests arriving by train in an environmentally friendly way. Another example is the biomass heating plant in Seefeld, which now supplies 54% of the tourist businesses in the municipality, in addition to schools, the indoor swimming pool, and the congress center." Building on these sustainable infrastructure projects, a forward-looking concept will be developed over the next two years, and initial concrete projects will be implemented. "The insights from this process can serve as an example for other Tyrolean tourism regions on their path to more sustainable tourism," emphasizes LHStvin Felipe at the end.