SI: The Kitzsteinhorn actively promotes summer on the mountain. Why has the destination taken this path?

Maria Hofer: With its glacier ski resort, the Kitzsteinhorn has always been a yearround destination. However, summer skiing has been in decline since the 90s. The summit station at 3,029 metres, the highest peak in our range, dated from 1966 and there was a lack of modern infrastructure for sightseers and those visiting for the panorama.

Because of itstopographical conditions, the Kitzsteinhorn is also not a classic hiking mountain. In the summer of 2003, from June to September, we generated only four percent of our annual turnover. We faced the question: close up or try something new?

And then you took the bull by the horns?

Yes, we actively invested in provision away from winter sports. The starting shot was fired in 2004 with certification as one of the “best Austrian summer mountain railways”.

This cooperation and quality initiative of the chamber of commerce, which is unique in the Alpine region, aims to thematically re-establish and enhance the mountain summer. Like many other mountain railways, we committed to fulfilling 160 quality criteria, which are reviewed every three years.

So the certification set the Kitzsteinhorn in motion?

Correct. From 2006 to 2008, we reconfigured the summit station and developed a concept for Summit World 3000 in partnership with Hohe Tauern national park. The content design was undertaken by Haus der Natur in Salzburg.

Summit World 3000 comprises the “Top of Salzburg” and “National Park  Gallery” viewing platforms, the “Cinema 3000” nature film cinema, the “Ice Arena” tobogganing and sledging area as well as the summit restaurant.

Guided tours with national park rangers are the social heart of our attraction. As such, we are positioning ourselves clearly as a panorama and nature destination.

Why?

The certification requires mountain railways to be differentiated from one another. It helps nobody if the same vendor tray is offered everywhere. There are themes of family, adventure, panorama & nature, art & culture as well as indulgence.

The now 69 mountain railways are permitted to specialise in a maximum of two of the themes. At over 3,000 metres, the positioning of our Summit World 3000 is clearly in panorama and nature experience.

Successfully?

Summit World 3000, which opened in 2011, opened up new target groups for us with the panorama and nature experience and through the partnership with Hohe Tauern national park.

With more than 50 percent of guests not speaking German, the Kitzsteinhorn has become even more international; initial admissions in the summer saw a twoand- a-half-fold increase. The revenue per guest likewise rose disproportionately; in 2019, we achieved 17 percent of annual turnover in the summer.

In comparison: this proportion was just six percent in 2006. The maxim is: to create a high-quality provision in harmony with nature and existing infrastructure, even in the summer, and to have the courage to win the prize. Both are important steps towards being a year-round destination.

What are the effects of the positioning on the winter business?

Sightseeing has become a second mainstay alongside winter sports. In 2010, the ratio of initial admissions in the winter was 13 percent panorama guests to 87 percent winter sports visitors.

In 2019, the ratio was 25 to 75! This secures and strengthens year-round operation, we are more stable economically and we are positioning ourselves as an attractive employer.