Seasonal balance

Winter ensures less turnover in the family region

A rare sight this winter: lots of snow in the Bodental valley.(Bild: Dieter Arbeiter)

The Bodental valley not only attracts numerous tourists in summer. For decades, the high valley has also been a popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts. However, the winter with little snow led to a drop in sales and an early end to the season in the family region. A new highlight awaits for the hiking season.

"We had quite a bit of precipitation this winter. But unfortunately it was mostly rain," sums up Alexandra Sereinig from the family ski area in Bodental. And the lack of snow meant that the season ended early for the family business. "We opened at the beginning of December, but then unfortunately had to end the season earlier than we had hoped," says the entrepreneur in an interview with the Krone. And that also meant less turnover for the lift operator.

It was still a great season for us. The ski school made a significant contribution to this.

Alexandra Sereinig, Unternehmerin

Families still took advantage of the offer
"While more school groups from Carinthia and Slovenia came to us during the week, it was families who came at the weekend," explains Sereinig, whose inn is increasingly visited by Carinthian guests. The high valley not only attracts visitors with its lifts, but also offers other opportunities for winter sports enthusiasts. After all, the Bodental valley has an annual cross-country ski trail with an unmistakable panorama. "And we are also a good starting point for ski tours," explains Sereinig.

Despite the early end of the winter season, there is only a brief respite in the Bodental valley. "Hiking is becoming more and more of a trend and we have many hiking routes that are very popular."

Slow trail to attract even more tourists
Thousands of visitors also flock to the Bodental valley because of the natural jewel that is the Meerauge. And that is why the municipality of Ferlach and the Wörthersee-Rosental tourism region have now joined forces. "We are building a slow trail from the Meerauge towards the fairytale meadow," explains Andreas Irnsdorfer from the Wörthersee-Rosental tourism region to the Krone newspaper. The trail, which is 5.3 kilometers long in total, will be built on an existing hiking trail. "Over the five kilometers, visitors can comfortably cover 153 meters in altitude," says Irnsdorfer. There are various elements along the hiking trail that provide interested hikers with information and invite them to linger.

The Meerauge attracts thousands of visitors every year.(Bild: SOBE HERMANN)

But it's not just the new Slow Trail that should attract even more visitors. "We are also renovating the outdated footbridge around the Meerauge," says Ferlach's mayor Ingo Appé, whose municipality will spend a total of around 80,000 euros on the project.