The Development of Mountain Tourism and the Activities of Mountain Farmers in the Austrian Alps

A Case Study of Fiss Village, Tyrol

Abstract

This paper is an exploration of the relationship between the development of mountain tourism and the activities of mountain farmers in Fiss village, Tyrol, in Austria.
In 1998, 38 million tourists stayed in Tyrol, which represented 35 percent for the whole country. Recently, the areas where mountain tourism has been developed to a high degree are Landeck and southern Imst in the southwest of Tyrol. Tourists come to commune with nature. The tranquillity and beauty of the area are what draw them there. It is their hope that the natural environment is not destroyed by the excessive development of tourism. A survey of four farmers in the village of Fiss showed that, in 1997, the EU and the Austrian state paid an average of 83 thousand shillings in the form of direct compensation. That is to say, 7, 400 shillings were paid per cow.
To improve the economic structure of the Alpine villages it is essential that farmers make the best use of such direct compensation for mountain farming. With the preservation of the natural environment, both mountain farming and tourism can prosper.