Borderless tourism: resilience and innovation for the Alpine region!

Borderless tourism: resilience and innovation for the Alpine region!

On May 20, 2025, the third network meeting of the Euregion Bavaria and Tyrol took place in the congress center in Seefeld, which had resilience in tourism under the theme “Innovation and cooperation across borders” as its central content. The organizer was the Euregio Zugspitze-Wetterstein-Karwendel, which brought together regional politicians and representatives of the Tyrolean-Bavarian Euregios. This meeting was particularly characterized by the need to strengthen cross-border cooperation in the tourism sector and to find innovative approaches for sustainable development in the Alpine region.

The discussion points included current challenges in tourism, including climate change, seasonality, skills shortages and overloaded infrastructure. State Governor Anton Mattle emphasized the added value that tourism creates and emphasized the ecological and social responsibility that goes with it. During his speech, he made it clear how important it is to exploit the tourism potential throughout the country. He highlighted the benefits of cross-border cooperation and influenced the need to involve the population in decision-making processes.

Panel discussion and innovative approaches

A highlight of the meeting was the panel discussion, which addressed the question: “Ensuring acceptance – How can tourism be beneficial for everyone?” In addition to Mattle, senior ministerial councilor Marion Appold, who spoke for Bavarian State Minister Michaela Kaniber, and Tyrolean MP Sophia Kircher also took part. District Administrator Anton Speer discussed the importance of exchange and networking for successful cooperation across borders.

As the opening speaker, futurologist Andreas Reiter from the ZTB Future Office gave insights into regional resilience in tourism. He emphasized the ability of a region to respond to crises and changes, which arises from the interaction of the economy, environment, society and politics. The topic of resilience is also covered in an open access book that deals with resilience and adaptability in crisis situations and change processes in tourism. It examines the characteristics of resilient destinations and tourism actors and focuses on the role of diversity and the importance of citizen participation. These points are particularly relevant to the discussion about the future of tourism in the Alpine region, as it involves taking into account the needs of the local population as well as resilience in wine and hiking tourism.

Graduation and excursion

The meeting concluded with an excursion to the historic Holzerhütte in Scharnitz on May 21st, where participants were given insights into the history of wood use and the traditional Kaiserschmarrn delicacy was served from the wood-fired oven. This event once again underlined the importance of sustainability and tradition, which are closely linked to regional identity.

Overall, the Euregion network meeting contributed to providing important impetus for the future of tourism in the region and developing innovative solutions to the challenges associated with the changing global environment. For more information about resilience in tourism, see the relevant book here can be viewed while providing detailed reports on the meeting here can be found.