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PACKAGE CLOSED: Bandaged ski tourists are crammed into the Gletcher Express en route to the Pitztal Glacier in Austria on October 29 this year. Photo: JOE KLAMAR / AFP
From the Alpine town of Ischgl, the coronavirus may have spread to 45 countries. However, Austria is struggling to close Europe’s winter sports resorts until early January.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and French President Emmanuel Macron want the ski lifts and gondolas to be up and the après-ski bars to be closed until January 10.
– Ski season is coming. We will try to coordinate so that we can close all ski resorts, Angela Merkel told the Bundestag on Thursday according to Reuters.
He agreed that it could be difficult to bring the Austrians into the team.
– Austria’s winter holidays are safe, the country’s Tourism Minister Elisabeth Köstinger said on Wednesday, according to Swissinfo.
That was far from the case nine months ago.
IN THE ELEVATOR: Ski tourists wearing masks at Verbier in the Swiss Alps. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
700 Norwegians infected in Ischgl
Almost 700 of the first cases of the Norwegian krone in March were during winter holidays in Ischgl, an alpine paradise in the snowy mountain range on the border with Switzerland.
According to Deutsche Welle, around 6,000 cases of infection in 45 countries can be traced back to the village, which is one of the most popular winter sports resorts in the Alps.
– The virus was not born here, nobody knew it was here. We don’t hide anything, Kitzloch “crown bar” host Bernhard Zangerl (25) told VG in May.
The om Coronabaren Kitzloch
CORONABAR: All the waiters got infected at the Kitzloch après-ski bar in Ischgl in Austria in March. The home of many Nordic tourists is run by Bernhard Zangerl. r Photo: Harald Henden, VG
Austrians promise they have learned. This season is all about distance and hygiene on the ski lifts. The après ski bars must remain closed.
– Then they have to pay
An EU plan to completely close winter sports resorts does not excite Austrians.
– Then they will have to pay it, says the country’s Finance Minister Gernot Blümel, according to the BBC.
It says that the closure of the ski resorts during the Christmas and New Year holidays will cause the tourism industry to lose up to 20 billion Norwegian crowns.
Ski destinations in Austria are currently closed as a national infection control measure, but will reopen on December 7.
ELEVATOR KØ: Skiers with bandages await the lift in Verbier, Switzerland, in October this year. Photo: Jean-Christophe Bott / Keystone
Neighboring Switzerland is outside the EU. Some destinations are already open there.
– There is no alternative to close
The Swiss hope that the distance in the queues for the ski lifts, less on the gondolas, the bandages on the ski lifts and the restrictions on après-ski will at least maintain domestic tourism.
– There is no alternative to close, says cantonal president, Christophe Darbellay, in Valais, where Verbier, Crans Montana and Zermatt are located.
In France, President Macron declared this week that he prefers ski resorts to reopen in safe conditions once a year.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex made it clear that winter destinations are open to those who take advantage of the fresh mountain air.
But the ski lifts, gondolas and other infrastructure will be closed, in line with cafes, bars and restaurants.
GONDOL: Fewer tourists and longer gondola ride on the way to Titlis in Switzerland. Photo: ALEXANDRA WEY / KEYSTONE
– This is a cold shower for everyone, says Mayor Jean-Luc Boch in La Plagne.
Create great values
The department of Haute Savoie, where Chamonix and Avoriaz are located, had the highest amount of infection in France this week, with 485 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
France’s 350 winter sports resorts employ 120,000 seasonal workers. Value creation exceeds NOK 100 billion a year, according to the BBC.
Italy supports a postponement of the season opener until January, but emphasizes that there must be a joint decision covering all of Europe.
“If Italy stops the ski lifts without the support of France, Austria and other countries, Italian tourists will travel abroad and take the infection home,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conti told La7 television channel earlier this week.
