Cable car boss and ÖVP tourism spokesman and member of the National Council Franz Hörl, whose industry is often accused of environmental damage, is now trying to go on the counteroffensive.
Instead of “hitting” the cable cars, which cause the least CO2, one should impose a special tax on the of “particularly environmentally harmful forms of vacation” such as air travel, for example for city trips, and cruises, or introduce an ban for them, Hörl demanded from the APA.
He might also imagine labeling these “particularly CO2-relevant forms of vacation – like in tobacco ” – and clearly pointing out how environmentally harmful they are. Of course, Hörl said that a corresponding labeling system had to apply to everyone, following all, “equal opportunities on the market” were needed. Appropriate approaches at EU level are not yet known.
Eco-criticism of tourism often “fact-free”
Hörl did not skimp on criticism of the media when it came to reporting on the cable cars, tourism and climate change. This is often “free of facts” and characterized by “one-sidedness”.
In the past few days, for example, a lot has been reported regarding the “white bands” in the ski areas and “unfortunately some things have been exaggerated”. For example, snow machines are repeatedly reported as energy guzzlers.
“This is despite the fact that the Federal Environment Agency has clearly stated that all slopes are groomed and snowed on a daily basis and that the cable cars consume just 0.33 percent of the republic’s total energy requirements,” said the ÖVP politician, according to which the Federal Environment Agency gave the tourism industry a “very gentle ecological footprint”.
He also referred to the domestic added value and the “ensuring of many regional prosperity factors” through tourism.
“Only Weakness”
At the same time, the industry is considering how to improve the “only weak point” – the arrival and departure of guests. He referred to the Nightjet to the snow. And Hörl can imagine discounts when traveling by train.
