About the rush in the Alps - a discussion

Kempten - representatives from business, politics, tourism and sport discussed mass rushes and visitor management in the Allgäu Alps.

Moderator Markus Raffler welcomed Prof. Dr.

Alfred Bauer (Dean of the Tourism Management Faculty at the Kempten University of Applied Sciences), Klaus King (Mayor of Oberstdorf), Bernhard Joachim (Managing Director of Allgäu GmbH), Henning Werth (biologist at the Alpin Nature Experience Center), Steffen Reich (geo-ecologist and DAV head of department Nature conservation), Maximilian Klaus (IG Climbing & Bergsport Allgäu) and Dominik Bartenschlager (spokesman for the Allgäu mountain guides).

Recurring themes

The latter should be a recurring topic that evening: After individual statements by the participants, the discussion revolved primarily around the parking situation at tourist hotspots. Reich stated that the problem of the high volume of traffic is not only a hot topic in the Allgäu - destinations such as the Berchtesgadener Land or the Tegernsee also have to contend with downright sheet metal avalanches on some days. “Eight different mobility concepts are currently running in Oberstdorf to free the town and its residents from the masses of cars,” says King.

In the future, a well-developed network of public transport that could bring guests from outside to the town should ensure climate neutrality and relief for the community when it comes to cars. The mountain guides and athletes in the group especially praised the parking system in Gunzesried, but at the same time critical voices about “overpriced and unfair” parking fees were loud throughout the region. Here and there, in addition to the design of the parking space, other measures to guide visitors in the mountains were mentioned: Hikers should stick to fixed paths and respect signposted taboo zones - because, for example, "the black grouse needs an area in which it can be undisturbed," says biologist Werth. 

Another means of directing visitors are mountain railways: guests who float to the very top in the gondola are usually not far from the summit and therefore do not enter any protected areas in the mountains.

The dean of the tourism management faculty was unsure whether nature-hungry mountain enthusiasts would be so easily influenced by further control measures;

where it's beautiful, be it full.

However, there was agreement in the entire group that nature is there for everyone equally and that no one can and should be excluded from its use.

Tourists and locals contribute equally to the protection and preservation of biodiversity in the Allgäu Alps and should use and enjoy it with respect and care.

Before the evening came to an end, visitors had the opportunity to contribute their questions and suggestions to the discussion - the main focus of the debate was the future planned construction work on the Grünten.

Sabrina Schmied

Also read: Weitnau opens a new cycle path around the Sonneck