Holidays reachable by train
Green places to stay
Austrian Tyrol
The judges of The Times Green Spaces' travel awards each month select their favourite nominations. Greentraveller's Richard Hammond is one of the judges who, this month, writes about BioHotel Stanglwirt, Tyrol, Austria.
The range of low-impact activities available at Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt is what you can expect year-round in the Tyrol. In winter there are plenty of excellent cross-country skiing trails, while in summer there's hiking, mountain biking and horse-riding in the Wilder Kaiser region. The hotel is also typical of green accommodation found throughout this part of Austria, where there's been a recycling culture for years and locally produced, organic food is the norm.
The Austrian Tyrol is an excellent example of how tourism can be managed sustainably throughout the year. Climate change is already a concern for European ski resorts, especially in low-altitude resorts where the absence of reliable snowfall is forcing them to find alternatives to the traditional downhill skiing industry. Developing a comprehensive outdoor summer season is a sensible strategy, especially given the trend for activity- based holidays. Other mountain economies in the Alps looking to diversify their tourism would do well to learn from Tyrol's success.
Previous nominations:
July: Kosi Bay, South Africa
June: Victoria Park, London
May: Llyn Peninsula, North Wales
"My Favourite Green Space", by GreenTraveller's Richard Hammond: Lundy Island, Devon
Send in your own nomination. For details, see: Times Green Spaces.
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