Umweltgeschichte Skitourismus: Alpine S...

Winter tourism in the 20th century had profound effects on landscapes, and socio-economic structures in remote valleys. Power relations in the villages were changed by the change from agriculture to tourism in the 1930s. This process was reinforced by the penetration of the ‘1950s Syndrome’ into Alpine valleys. Within this process the cultural conception of Alpine winter landscapes, as well as the related tourism practices and skiers’ body sensations, infrastructure and nature protection discourse changed. The concept of sustainable development occurred in winter tourism in the 1980s. Its regional implementation will be discussed in course of the project.

This project contributes to the historiography of Vorarlberg, the environmental historiography of Austria and to the growing body of international tourism-, environmental history- and Alpine history research. Furthermore, this project can provide a profound knowledge base for regional development processes and educational institutions. Within this focus, the project contributes to the fulfilment of the international Alpine Convention.

The study draws on archival data, maps, contemporary newspapers, technical literature on tourism infrastructure, promotional material and interviews with contemporary witnesses. A geographical information system (GIS) is used to integrate research findings and data comprehensively and allows a space-sensitive analysis. The project will lead to a monograph summarizing the long-term development of Alpine ski tourism in Vorarlberg and will to several peer-reviewed publications and conference papers.