Ski World Championships 2013 ignited the economic turbo for Schladming-Dachstein

In the context of major sporting events, discussions repeatedly flare up about whether the organization of such events is really worthwhile. A recent study presented today shows: The 2013 Alpine World Ski Championships were the starting signal for an enormously positive development for the Styrian tourism region of Schladming-Dachstein. The economic boost from tourism at that time was 731 million euros, today it is 1.27 billion euros. This corresponds to an increase of more than 70 percent. In addition, for every euro invested from public funds in the World Ski Championships, almost twice as much revenue (1.95 euros) flowed back to the local authorities in the following years.

"The 2013 World Ski Championships were a key driver for the development of our region. Since then, the economic impetus from tourism has increased incredibly," explained Andreas Keinprecht, Chairman of the Schladming-Dachstein tourism region, as part of the study presentation. "In the years surrounding the World Championships, tourism added value amounted to around 350 million euros, today we are at 592 million euros. In concrete terms, an additional annual added value of more than 240 million euros was generated for the Schladming-Dachstein region - a clear sign of the sustainable impact of this major event."

According to official figures, the total investment in the World Ski Championships amounted to around 415.78 million euros, of which 247.75 million came from public funds. For the taxpayer, this investment has more than paid for itself. "Every euro that the public sector invested in the World Ski Championships generated 1.95 euros in additional income from tourism for local authorities in the following years. The added value can therefore be clearly expressed in figures," emphasized study author Florian Schwillinsky from the Vienna Economixs Institute.

Mathias Schattleitner, Managing Director of TVB Schladming-Dachstein, referred to the enormous impact outside of ski tourism: "The 2013 World Ski Championships proved to be a real turbo for the development of our region - especially in the direction of year-round tourism. Since the major event, which was extremely well received worldwide, we have also been able to significantly increase overnight stays in the summer months - specifically by around 666,000. This shows that the World Championships have had a lasting impact far beyond winter sports. With more than 3.9 million overnight stays per year, we are now one of the five largest tourist destinations in Austria."

The number of overnight stays by domestic and foreign guests per year has risen by around 38% since the World Ski Championships. In Schladming-Dachstein, this is not only an important boost for the tourism industry, but also benefits the entire economy and therefore the population. Tourism currently secures over 8,100 jobs in the region, 4,100 of which are directly in tourism businesses including cable cars and 4,000 jobs in downstream sectors such as trade, crafts and services. In addition, tourism in the Schladming-Dachstein region secures 7,300 jobs in Styria and 8,300 jobs throughout Austria through indirect and induced effects.

Georg Bliem, Managing Director of Planai-Hochwurzen-Bahnen, explains the positive effects on his company: "The World Ski Championships not only attracted international attention, but also laid the foundation for the implementation of numerous major projects that today characterize the Planai as a year-round leisure company. These include the 'Energy Crystal' on the Dachstein, the new Rohrmoos I gondola lift, the WEST winter sports center and the Schladming Bike Park. With around 120 million euros invested since 2015, we are consistently pushing ahead with modernization and further development and are also setting strong accents at major events such as the annual ski opening. In addition, the Planai is one of the largest employers in the region with around 410 employees in winter, 330 of them year-round."