Impending travel warning for Austria: is the ski season in danger?
6,505 new infections
In addition, there is the Austrian problem of vaccination fatigue, coupled with a steadily increasing number of new infections. On Wednesday, this year’s high was reached with 6,506 new infections, the utilization of normal and intensive care units is becoming more and more precarious: “We will soon have our backs to the wall,” warned Günther Weiss, director of the Clinic for Internal Medicine in Innsbruck.
A situation that is already alarming other countries: Romania put Austria on the red list Austria is a corona risk area. If others follow this example, it would be fatal for local winter tourism. Governor Platter, currently also chairman of the governor’s conference, cannot rule out travel restrictions: “You can already see that 70 countries describe Germany as an area with a high incidence.” Still, expect an “acceptable winter season”.
Extreme impairment for winter tourism is feared
German words of the President of the Carinthian Chamber of Commerce, Jürgen Mandl: “Of course there is a fear that travel warnings will be issued again. But whether you like the incidence number or not, it is the European benchmark. IT is like a balance sheet figure that is used for the calculation. ”Should the corona figures continue to rise, this would, according to Mandl, have“ extreme adverse effects ”on winter tourism. “Which guest comes on vacation when they have to be quarantined after returning from a high-risk area?” One can only hope that the numbers will fall.
On the Nassfeld, with 110 kilometers of pistes, the largest ski area in Carinthia, there is also an “uncomfortable gut feeling” due to the increasing corona numbers. It is unthinkable that we will have to go through a winter season like last year ”, thinks Christopher Puntigam, spokesman for the tourism region.
90 percent of skiers are vaccinated
Georg Bliem, managing director of Planai Bahnen in Upper Styria, is calmly starting the season. “So far we are in the normal preparations. We are assuming a normal winter, albeit with Corona accompaniment. ”One knows from summer tourism in the Upper Styrian region: 90 percent of the guests were vaccinated.
Gernot Hörwertner, spokesman for the Salzburger Land Tourism, sees it similarly. “Travel warnings this year do not mean that borders will be closed.” From the open glacier ski areas one knows: Only ten percent of the guests come with a test, most of them have been vaccinated or have recovered.