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The ski resort, where thousands of Europeans have been infected, looks very optimistic about the winter season. But there are questions about whether the business model will work without party tourism.
Ischgl, the epitome of gigantism in winter sports, is trying to reinvent itself.
Seen from the main street, Ischgl looks like a castle: at the entrance to the city, visitors can expect a 20-meter-high, 200-meter wide “Parking Lounge” with hundreds of parking spaces, built in 2015. Almost all they are empty. The complex receives more than 2 million tourists in winter and only 300,000 to 400,000 in summer.
Some tourists walk from Silvrettabahn down Dorfstrasse, where Burger King and the Ischgl store also take a summer break. In the 130-meter long village tunnel, which makes it easy for skiers to access the ultra-modern Pardatschgratbahn, the photos of the stars that appeared on the glacier at the end of the season are the only companions. All hotels in the huge square are closed, as is the cable car.
Rest in the «Kitzloch»
Right next door is the ‘Kitzloch’. “Ischgl is a town in summer and a city in winter,” says Bernhard Zangerl when the après-ski bar opens. Consequently, the operation is only worthwhile during the main season. The Zangerl family did not take over the “Kitzloch” until November. After the bartender was infected on March 7, she became an international symbol of the Corona Ischgl hotspot. Today it is assumed that at least 30 deaths per corona can be traced to Ischgl, thousands of them were infected.
Zangerl remembers winter with considerable self-criticism. “We didn’t realize how serious the situation was at the time,” explains the part-time farmer, who graduated from hotel management school. It is also clear to the 25-year-old that après-ski, as held in Ischgl at the “Kitzloch”, “Kuhstall”, “Niki’s Stadl” or “Schatzi-Bar”, offered ideal conditions for the virus: “Yes alcohol is consumed and many people gather in closed rooms, it is easier to get infected “. The proximity of the different restaurants and the circulation of guests between them contributed to this.
Bernhard Zangerl, the operator of the «Kitzloch»
However, Zangerl is unaware of any guilt, an attitude that virtually all Ischglers seem to share. In the “Kitzloch” all instructions from the authorities were followed. The day after the bartender’s test came back positive, the entire team went into quarantine and police began investigating people’s immediate surroundings at the same time. The restaurant closed on March 9. From today’s perspective, these measures were completely inadequate, as 150 people were in the “Kitzloch” every night.
Investigations and trials
Tyrolean politicians only indirectly admit that mistakes were made. Ischgl Mayor Werner Kurz thinks that with today’s knowledge one would have reacted differently. Governor Günther Platter believes that no one could have suspected that the virus would spread so quickly. “Reading the book from behind is very easy,” he said recently, praising his own “quick decisions” that led to the premature end of the ski season across Tyrol on Friday 13 March. On the same day, the government of Vienna quarantined the entire Paznaun Valley.
The policy reaction is examined by an independent commission of the Tyrolean state parliament, which will present its results in October. At the same time, the Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office is investigating the charge that the authorities delayed decisions due to negligence and possibly out of consideration for economic interests. In the end, 5,000 people joined a class action lawsuit directed primarily against the Austrian Ministry of Health.
So far, investigations have brought to light little that can be counted, also because the mix of political and legal accusations promotes deportation of responsibility and the Tyrolean car-castle mentality. The people of Ischgl see themselves as victims and repeatedly emphasize that the virus was introduced. They describe a chaotic situation in March, with ever-changing instructions from authorities, especially during the hasty departure of guests shortly before the valley closed. One complains about the media campaign and one interviewee reports that they spat on townspeople in Innsbruck and scratched their cars. Bernhard Zangerl talks about emails with death threats and insults.
“We are very sorry”
Departure of the last seasonal workers in April 2020.
“Ischgl is well known as a brand, but it is also polarizing. That’s why it got all the attention in March, ”believes Andreas Steibl, CEO of the Paznaun-Ischgl Tourism Association. The interrupted season cost the tourist community 30 percent of sales, as the season in the high-altitude ski area is particularly long. After all, the summer season only brought losses of a few percentage points.
Andreas Steibl, Managing Director of the Paznaun-Ischgl Tourism Association
“We are very sorry that people have been infected here,” he says in his ultra-modern office. This should never happen again. The 51-year-old, Vienna-born with long blonde hair, emphasizes that Ischgl wants to become the safest destination for winter tourism. A protection concept has been developed for the winter season, which provides for the disinfection of the cabins, the issuance of protective masks and tests for guests and employees.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to deal with party tourism, which, according to a recent survey, shapes the image and appeal of Ischgl for more than 90 percent of guests. “We will have to restrict it massively in winter,” admits Steibl. It is not clear how the trade-off between economy and protection should work in après-ski. Intermediate closing times are being discussed for ventilation, a relocation abroad and a limitation on the number of guests. There are no uniform rules of the Ministry of Health so far, also because the different ski regions do not agree.
Bernhard Zangerl from “Kitzloch” is also one of the skeptics. “It’s hard to get guests to follow the rules after they’ve had a drink. At some point, everyone does what they want. “Ischgl will only return to normal after Corona, because without mass tourism the place could not survive economically. But nobody here likes to bet that hundreds of thousands of tourists will return in winter.
