The Mostviertel tourism industry met on Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024 in the Lower Austria Museum for the traditional Mostviertel Tourism Festival. The evening’s motto was “Sustainability and Regenerative Tourism”.
The Mostviertel Tourism Festival takes place every year at a different location in the Mostviertel, this year in the state capital St. Pölten. In the Lower Austria Museum The over 200 guests were treated to an entertaining evening with lectures on the topic of sustainability and regenerative tourism. led through the evening ORF-NÖ presenter Ursula Pucherthey provided the musical accompaniment Gravögl with their Mostviertel dialect folk.
Tourism as a motor for regeneration
At the beginning of the evening there was Johannes ScheiblauerChairman of the General Assembly of Mostviertel Tourismus GmbH and hotel owner, an insight into the topic of sustainability from a business perspective. Representing State Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner then answered Karl WilfingPresident of the Lower Austrian State Parliament, the question of how sustainability manifests itself at the state level and how tourism professionals can pave the way to a future in which tourism becomes a motor for regeneration.
“Tourism in Lower Austria should continue to have positive economic, social and ecological effects on the respective regions in the future. This requires strong cohesion and responsible management, as practiced by Lower Austria Advertising and Mostviertel Tourism. “It is important to pay particular attention to local culture and people, to promote community initiatives and to protect the natural environment.”
explained Karl Wilfing.
See change as an opportunity
In the second part of the evening, an informative lecture entitled “Future Tourism – Understanding Change as an Opportunity” clearly introduced those present to the future of tourism, which is controversial in times of climate change and regression. Florian Größwangregional development expert and founder of TourCert-Austriatalked about the four big drivers of change in tourism. The regions are facing a digital, green, cultural and systemic change in order to become sustainable ecosystems. This transformation represents a challenge, but above all it also offers great opportunities. Regenerative tourism, for example, could bring a new target group to the region.
Together, desire for the future & courage
In the last part of the evening sketched Kristiane SpieglHead of Sustainability at Lower Austria Advertising, the Lower Austrian path to the future of sustainable tourism. Tourism must be designed in such a way that it improves the quality of life locally, contributes to the preservation of natural and cultural resources and focuses on the uniqueness of the destinations and businesses. Three values - togetherness, desire for the future, courage – and three fields of action – identity, culture, nature – form the compass.
Mostviertel Tourism Managing Director Andreas Purt Finally, he gave examples from the Mostviertel where the regenerative path in tourism is already being successfully pursued, for example in Pielachtal or at the Mostviertler field trials. “We are currently working intensively on making the last mile for guests in the Alpine Mostviertel as climate-friendly as possible and are trying to reflect the sustainable, regenerative approach in all of our current projects. Tourism can make a positive contribution for all of us.”
Andreas Purt concluded the evening.
Regional cuisine at the end
Following the official part of the evening, regional food and drinks from the Mostviertel were served. The dishes were prepared by Flieger Gastro GmbH, which is certified with the eco-label. The drinks were accompanied by wines from the Traisental (Markus Huber winery), pear cider and juices (Gatterer family) as well as regional beer specialties (Bahnhofsbräu Styx, Egger Bräu). There was also a special exhibition in the museum throughout the evening “Rooms vacant! Vacation in the country” be visited.