Franz Hörl (66) is not known for his precise choice of words. The Austrian ÖVP politician is president of the cable car association and is himself a hotelier in Zillertal. Now he has mixed some dust in the discussion of the electricity consumption of the cable cars and the meaning of skiing in the green winter.
Hörl pointed out that, according to the Federal Environment Agency, ropeways account for only 0.33% of Austria’s total energy needs. The arrival and departure of the guests to the holiday areas is the only weak point ecologically.
He asked “facts and data” from the flight and cruise industry, which also has high emissions, to compare how well eco-friendly ski vacations fare compared to other forms of travel. Guests should be able to see “how green the holiday is in Austria in summer and winter”.
Hörl even went so far as to charge a special tax for advertising “particularly environmentally harmful forms of vacation” such as air travel or cruises. In an interview with the Austrian Press Agency (APA), he even thought out loud about an advertising ban for such holidays.
Shot over the target
Hörl received a lot of criticism for these statements. Among other things, the Austrian Travel Association General Secretary Walter Säckl (64): “The fact that a tourism spokesperson, who should in fact represent all of Austria’s tourism, can be swept away by such statements is beyond question.”
Its Swiss counterpart is Walter Kunz (61), Managing Director of the Swiss Travel Association (SRV). This hits the same pipe: “Mr. Hörl just wants to distract himself from the discussion.”
According to Kunz, the travel industry is aware that travel is harmful to the climate. You have to face this challenge. “It makes more sense to create decision-aids for consumers, rather than banning or handing over money.” But this is linked to one of Hörl’s demands: Consumers must be able to see how much CO₂ their journeys emit. Based on this, informed holiday decisions can be made.
“Klimalink” ensures comparability
A tool for this comparability will be available soon. The association “KlimaLink” would like to offer one. The association was established in October 2022. Among the 22 founding members are Hotelplan and DER Touristik, the parent company of the Kuoni brand, as well as SRV.
The aim is to digitally provide emissions data based on a uniform CO₂e calculation standard. The “e” stands for “equivalent” and means that in addition to carbon dioxide, other gases such as methane or nitrous oxide are also taken into account. This data is developed and updated regularly. According to Kunz, in the future travelers will be able to identify their ecological travel footprint and use it to make travel decisions.
Kunz explains that it can no longer be assumed that people will no longer travel to Australia solely because of CO₂ emissions. “Maybe, based on the information, we can travel a little less but more consciously.”