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Economic activity in mountain areas
What can – and cannot – mountain areas do? Two new studies from Germany and Switzerland show the opportunities and weaknesses of regional economies and demonstrate that mountain areas can help in determining their own economic future.
News
Solstice in winter tourism
Tourism has brought wealth to the Alps. In many regions it remains an important source of income, but lack of economic diversification is also a risk. The importance and orientation of tourism differs strongly among Alpine countries, but all of them need new strategies and approaches to cope with shifts in visitor behaviour and climate change. A socio-economic transformation is needed that takes account of tourism’s past, present and future potential.
Position
Winter tourism – a destination shaping change
What are the challenges facing winter tourism in these times of climate change and new patterns of visitor behaviour? CIPRA takes a fictional resort and presents the possible decisions and their consequences: the interactive presentation is accompanied by a web dossier and a position paper.
News
Sad, but true
Tignes, located in the French Alps, is responding to the retreat of glaciers, and thus of the available ski pistes, with a very special project of its own:
News
Media address expansion of winter sports
The call by CIPRA to end the constant upgrading of ski areas has found considerable support. Facts such as climate change, stagnating numbers of skiers and falling profits underline the urgency of these demands.
News
The Alps are losing their snow
A recently published study shows that winters are ever shorter and the amount of snow is decreasing. The main reason for long winters becoming more and more a thing of the past is the earlier spring thaw.
News
Rock ptarmigan may continue to nest
No ski lifts or pistes may be built on the mountain slopes of the Vallaccia Valley in Italy. This decision of the Lombardy Administrative Court now overturns the authorisation granted by the Italian Council of Ministers.
News
Strange but true...
This is the story of why all mountains may soon be covered with sawdust in summer.
News
“Glamping” in the Slovenian Alps: a critical view
A new “Eco Resort” in Slovenia promises luxury farmhouse holidays. Just a few kilometres away the genuine Alpine huts of the “Velika Planina” stand ready for guests.
News
Award-winning tourism
Tourism too has its success stories. Innovative projects in the Alps are drawing attention. A national park in Germany now shows that sustainable tourism can also bring economic benefits.
News
Strange but true...
soft guitar music, gentle singing, then the camera zooms onto a green, undeveloped hillside.
News
Olympic Realities – Six Cities after the Games
Since 2012 Bruno Helbling has travelled 6 Cities to discover and photograph Olympic sport venues. A large-format photo book with text essays by six journalist and experts will be published in october 2015 by Birkhäuser Publisher.
Publication
Hot topic: mountain biking
Like hikers, mountain bikers are now part of the mountain landscape, often using the same paths. The result: conflicts between the two groups are on the increase.
News
European tourism prize for Bohinj
For years slow mobility has been a priority in the Slovenian town of Bohinj. It has now been awarded the EDEN network’s innovation prize.
News
Strange but true...
When it comes to superlatives, the French also want to get in on the act.
News
Swiss reheat Olympic candidacy
Two Swiss cantons, Graubünden (Grisons) and Wallis (Valais), are now competing to host the Winter Olympics – even though voters in Graubünden rejected a proposed candidacy in 2013, and it has already failed several times in Wallis.
News
Ski lifts in Italy to become liable for tax
The Supreme Court in Italy has now ruled that cable cars and chair lifts do not count as public transport, meaning that municipal tax on real estate is therefore now payable. The judgment has led to uproar in ski resorts.
News
Bus and train: new moves in the Alps-Adriatic region
Public transport between Italy, Austria and Slovenia is moving forward. The consequences remain to be seen.
News
Ill-timed winter tourism developments throughout the Alps
Despite rising temperatures and doubts about profitability, some Alpine regions are building new winter sports facilities. But who will pay the bill?
News
Point of view: Preserving the strongholds of the Alps
Dozens of development projects are simmering in the drawers of investors from Slovenia to France. It is thus even more important to sustain existing protected areas, says Katharina Conradin, member of the executive board of CIPRA International and executive director of Mountain Wilderness Switzerland.
News
Ski tourism: an insatiable hunger
Gigantic artificial lakes, myriads of snow cannons, secret forest clearances. Ski areas are continuing to expand in all Alpine countries, often using questionable methods and concepts. Below are three examples.
News
Strange but true!
... Winter ade, scheiden tut weh – Winter must go, parting hurts, as the old German folk song runs. The little Austrian community of Ramsau is now ignoring this piece of wisdom, as well as the laws of nature.
News
Living simply - with fewer resources
(08.04.2014) The Alps are coming under increasing pressure with developments such as the energy transition, the growth of tourism and urban sprawl. But we can offset the limited nature of their natural resources with the help of cultural resources – changing our values to focus more closely on an environmentally-friendly way of life. What this entails is the subject of CIPRA’s 2013 Annual Report.
Press/Media release
Our demand: Olympics-free Alps!
After the celebrations, the hangover of the morning after the Olympics: the reckoning of the consequential damage and the follow-up costs in Sochi. And just as it has been for all the venues around the world that have hosted the Winter Olympics, the reckoning will be severe. In an open letter, CIPRA is calling on IOC President Thomas Bach to initiate a fundamental reform of the IOC. In fact CIPRA has upped the ante with a policy document demanding that no more Winter Olympics be planned or staged in their current form.
Press/Media release
Olympics-free Alps!
Open letter to Thomas Bach, IOC President Schaan/LI, 25 February 2014
News
CIPRA embarks on a long-distance walk
CIPRA is taking over in 2014 the management of the secretariat of the "Via Alpina" long-distance trail. Together both networks are working for more sustainable development in the Alps. Passionate hikers shall not be the only ones to benefit.
News
CIPRA embarks on a long-distance walk
On 1 January 2014, CIPRA International took over the secretariat of the long-distance trail Via Alpina. Together both alpine-wide networks are working for more sustainable development in the Alps. Passionate hikers shall not be the only ones to benefit.
Press/Media release
Why Sochi is not in the Alps
The 2014 Winter Olympics could have been held in the Alps except that, at the time, Salzburg’s candidacy fell through with the IOC. Nowadays, the Winter Olympics have virtually no chance of success among the people who actually live in the Alps. CIPRA looks back at the experiences gained in recent years.
Press/Media release
Why Sochi is not in the Alps
The idea of the Alps as a venue for the Winter Olympics is these days scarcely conceivable. CIPRA has now produced a review of the reasons underlying this, the experiences gained from the candidatures of Annecy, Salzburg, Munich and Graubünden (Grisons), and what remains of the Turin Games.
News
Point of view: the enlightened Olympics-free Alps
The referendum decisions against "Munich 2022" and "Graubünden 2022" prove that the Olympic spirit is dead. Simply not everyone has yet noticed.