Austria

Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein intend to co-operate even more closely to protect against natural hazards in the Alps. This decision was taken by the four German-language Environmental Ministers at this year's meeting in Potsdam/D. The Ministers concurred that natural catastrophes in the Alps were likely to occur more and more often despite all the efforts being made with regard to climate protection.

The Naturschutzbund Steiermark/A has published a German and English conference book following the international conference "Path to Nature's Wisdom - Ecological Dialogue Himalaya and Alps". The conference was held in Graz/A from 9 to 11 October 2002 as part of the UN's International Year of the Mountains 2002, under the patronage of the Dalai Lama.

The Ukrainian project at Bukovel reflects the global trend towards developing increasingly vast ski areas:

Services for the elderly and the accessibility of accommodation by the disabled are the two key issues of a seminar at Feltre in Italy on July 2. The seminar is being held as part of the Interreg IIIA Programme Montagna Accessibile (Mountains Within Reach) of the Belluno Province and the Federal Province of Tyrol/A.

The Ford Environment Award of the Austrian Umbrella Organisation for the Environment and the Ford Motor Company Austria rewards with a total of €16,000.00 the three best initiatives for the protection of the country's natural and cultural heritage.

"Our aim with the founding of the Institute for Holiday, Travel and Altitude Medicine at the Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology is to demonstrate and substantiate by medical and scientific means the favourable health effect of a high-altitude holiday. We also intend to establish a form of certification for tourist regions and tourist enterprises," explained Tyrol's Provincial Governor Herwig van Staa at the official presentation of the new Institute in Innsbruck/A.

From the end of this year 80 businesses from Bavaria, Austria, Switzerland and southern Tyrol are to join forces and carry the new umbrella brand Alpine Wellness International GmbH.

More and more skiers are making use of the ski trains and buses operated by the Vorarlberg Transport Authority. The main ski resorts of Austria's westernmost federal province, i.e. the Montafon, the Kloster valley and the Arlberg region, can all be reached by public transport. The good results achieved this season have prompted the Transport Authority to expand its offers as far afield as southern Germany, among others.

The City of Vienna has set up "Scarabeo 2004", the first ever European Youth Competition on Waste Prevention and Separation. Until May 15 young people from more than forty countries can submit projects on ways of preventing and separating waste.

From this summer several Dutch tour operators, including the TUI subsidiary Holland International and the hiking and cycling holiday specialists SNP, are offering "Green Package Tours" to Switzerland and Austria.