<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Civic Network of South Tyrol

Welcome to South Tyrol

Tourism

wintersportsSouth Tyrol is a land of passes and therefore a transit land in the heart of the Alps, lying to the South of its Main ridge, a link between the central European and Mediterranean worlds. Its position as trade intersection point, equi-distant between Venice and Munich on a north-west-south-east axis, and between Vienna and Genoa on a north-east-south-west axis, made Bozen (Bolzano) early on an important goods transhipment place. But South Tyrol also lies at the climatic intersection point between the bracing north and the warm south. South Tyrol has therefor long been a meeting point for traders, carriers, pilgrims and keen travellers, which has required the setting up of suitable accommodation. Hundreds of years old are also the health resorts which have resulted in tourist establishments being set up for them, particularly in the foothills between Meran (Merano) and Salurn (Salorno). In addition, dozens of baths throughout the Province - thermal springs and herbal baths - cater for a limited amount of tourism.

Tourism proper first began in the nineteenth century and took off impressively in 1867 with the opening of the Brenner railway and the linking of the Province with the European railway system. In Meran (Merano), Gries bei Bozen (Bolzano), Brixen (Bressanone) and Toblach (Dobbiaco) a high-quality recreational tourism was already flourishing towards the end of the century, to which was added mountaineering with the opening of the Alps. This golden age lasted until the outbreak of the First World War. Two world wars and a frontier change plunged the tourist trade, as with many others, into difficulties.

In the last decades tourism has become one of the most important pillars of the South Tyrol economy. In 2000, South Tyrol registered 23.65 million over-night stays by a total of four million holiday-makers, of whom more than per cent came from the Federal Republic of Germany and nearly 36 per cent came from the rest of Italy. Other important origins of tourism were Austria, Switzerland and the Benelux countries. Compared to 1999 the number of over night stays in 2000 has increased for 1.3 per cent. Most over-night stays and arrivals have been registered during the summer months. The favoured districts in this time were Pustertal and Burggrafenamt.

South Tyrol possesses 4,500 hotels and guest-houses, with 145,000 beds. Some 93.4 per cent of the rooms have their own bath or shower. 5,500 persons who rent out privately rooms and apartments offer further accommodation possibilities amounting to 66,000 beds. In addition there are 40 Youth Hostels, 31 holiday homes, 37 mountain inns and 88 refuge huts as well as 36 camping sites. For sport and leisure the widest range of facilities are available throughout the Province: 50 public open-air swimming pools; in over 20 localities public indoor swimming pools, 954 open-air hotel swimming pools, 581 indoor hotel swimming pools, 1,272 hotel saunas, 585 jacuzzis and 202 hotel tennis courts. South Tyrol provide a total of 423 tennis courts and 41 indoor or covered tennis courts. There are 37 mini-golf courses, five golf courses, 12 squash halls and also 44 riding stables in the Province.
For winter sports there are about 416 lifts with about 800 kilometres of ski pistes, 1,800 kilometres of cross-country ski trails, over 90 toboggan tracks, some 60 ski-schools as well as ten artificial ice-rinks, 44 natural ice-rinks and two artificial ice stadium.

To this positive development of South Tyrolese tourism the Province has made a significant contribution (the Province enjoys primary legislative powers in regard to tourism). With Provincial Law n. 33 of 18 August 1992 the tourist bodies in South Tyrol were reorganised. All local tourist organisations have been amalgamated into the "Landesverband der Tourismusorganisationen Südtirol (LTS)". The "Hotelier- und Gastwirteverband" (Association of Hoteliers and Inn-keepers) is also organised at provincial level, as is the "Verband der Privatzimmervermieter Südtirols" (Association of South Tyrolese Private Room Renters). The Provincial organisation "Südtiroler Tourismuswerbung (STW)", responsible for the promotion of the tourism, has been replaced by the organisation "Südtiroler Marketing-Gesellschaft (SMG)", founded in November 1998. The members of this joint stock company are, apart from the Provincial Administration, the chamber of commerce, the tourist organisations, the association of Hoteliers and Inn-keepers, and others.

tourismSouth Tyrolese tourism is united in its efforts to improve the quality of what is on offer within the framework of an unspoilt scenic and cultural environment.
By the "project Dolomites" South Tyrol, Trentino and the region of Veneto want to advertise the mountains especially in the USA, Canada and Japan in order to improve the tourism in all three regions and to beat the drum world-wide for the singular landscape of the Dolomites.