Night gastronomy is still waiting for funding
The clubs in Austria were closed for 16 months. Only after many calls and outcry from party-goers, operators and cultural workers did the politicians remember the nightclubs and their importance for the youth. Even now, the stricter rules are the first to hit the clubs and nighttime restaurants.
Mountains and night gastronomy go hand in hand
For a young city like Innsbruck, nightlife is very important, believes Fred Lordick, representative of the Innsbruck club scene. You are urban, modern and want to compete with cities like Amsterdam or Berlin, but you also have mountains and can do winter sports here. It goes hand in hand, says Lordick. Just as you promote tourism, you also have to promote life outside the mountain.
The outspoken policy was actually in favor of this. After the clubs had been closed for almost 1.5 years, some of them were completely banned and many were struggling with money problems, the city of Innsbruck has promised a grant. 150,000 euros were under discussion. That is not a large sum for a city, but a lot of money for the operators of night gastronomy.
There are no subsidies
Now that the clubs were allowed to reopen, no one apparently wants to open the cash desk. The last questions went unanswered, says Lordick. You got a bit of the sign that you weren’t that important after all, “you’re fine again, you don’t need it anymore”. That is short-sighted, so Lordick, “if something is closed, then it is us”.
Willi makes the state and the Chamber of Commerce responsible
Innsbruck’s mayor Georg Willi (Greens) points out that funding has been promised on the condition that the Chamber of Commerce and the State of Tyrol also provide 150,000 euros each for the club scene. Because the offer is not only used by Innsbruck residents.
Many people would come to the state capital because of this offer, so the state and the Chamber of Commerce had to be held responsible, said Willi. “I also expect movement here. But if nothing happens at all, we have to consider sticking to our part, at least to set this important sign of appreciation for the night gastronomy and the club scene. For the club scene, you have to keep waiting.