The OBERSTDORF · KLEINWALSERTAL BERGBAHNEN (mountain railways) are looking back on a challenging winter. Although they were able to reopen on time thanks to artificially produced snow, the overall number of holidaymakers fell by around eight percent. The decline in day visitors was particularly noticeable for the mountain railway association.
"A difficult winter lies behind us..." is how Dr. Andreas Gapp, CEO of OBERSTDORF · KLEINWALSERTAL BERGBAHNEN, succinctly summarizes the past winter season. While the 2022/23 winter season began as planned on December 8, 2022, it saw noticeably fewer day visitors than expected. "I would like to emphasize that, contrary to many reports to the contrary, the slope conditions were very good and sufficient from the start of the season. However, these good conditions were only possible thanks to the use of artificial snow, which shows how important this is for us. But not only for us. A punctual start to the season creates planning security. For us, but also for many other businesses in the two-country region. After all, we are only one part of the value chain. Hotels, restaurants, ski schools, and sports shops follow, to name just a few," adds Gapp.
Good overnight stay figures
The two-country region of Oberstdorf and Kleinwalsertal continues to be popular with vacationers. The businesses were particularly busy during the Christmas, Carnival, and Dutch crocus holidays. However, there was a noticeable decline in day visitors starting in mid-March and especially throughout the entire season: "We observed that guests were very unsettled due to inflation and media coverage on the topic of 'no snow,'" explains Dipl.-Ing. Johannes Krieg, also a board member at OBERSTDORF · KLEINWALSERTAL BERGBAHNEN. This led to day visitors still enjoying skiing, but unfortunately not as frequently as they would have liked.
High guest satisfaction
The feedback from skiers who vacationed with us is very positive, demonstrating that vacationers were more than satisfied, even surprised, with the OBERSTDORF · KLEINWALSERTAL BERGBAHNEN offerings in 2022/23: "This is a very good sign for us and shows that the slope quality was significantly better than expected. Our guests perceived the experiences and offerings in our ski areas as very positive. This shows that with our quality initiative and the associated investments, we are on the right track and therefore absolutely competitive," says Henrik Volpert, the third member of the board of the mountain railway association.
Board Member Gapp takes stock
"Overall, we had eight percent fewer guests in the past winter season than in the previous season. The decline in day visitors was particularly noticeable for our mountain railway company. Overall, the 2022/23 winter season was very challenging for all of us. However, situations like these spur us on and motivate us to give our best at all times. For this reason, I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our employees," concludes Board Member Andreas Gapp. All three board members of the mountain railways are looking positively towards the future and the coming, hopefully good, summer season.
