Winter Tourism
Trends and Challenges
by Ulrike Pröbstl-Haider, Harold Richins, Stefan Türk
Winter tourism has seen increased levels of investment in recent times as new ski destinations develop and traditional skiing destinations merge to reduce economic risks by means of spatial distribution. Increasingly environmental issues in many established ski resorts, including certifications and adaptions of the management regime, and new mobility concepts to reduce CO2 emissions caused by the travel behavior of the winter tourists, are growing areas of consideration. This includes the importance of scenic beauty, nature and sustainable development as well as snow reliability and avalanche safety. Finally skiers themselves and their preferences (destination choice), need to be considered as part of demographic change and changing leisure time habits, in particular considering the Chinese market and its impact in the future. The book will explore these trends and discuss the different approaches and adaption strategies that are employed in the European Alpine region, North America, and Eastern Europe.