Although the tourism and leisure sector represents an important source of income and is with 15% of the jobs offered an important employer, conflicting interests are rising between the preservation of nature, energy, tourism, etc.
On 27 and 28 November the Alpine Convention and the City of Innsbruck invited different stakeholders, who directly deal with the management of bicycle traffic, in particular mountain bikes, to an international exchange of experiences on MTB- and bicycle networks in the Alps at municipal and regional level.
Secretary General of the Alpine Convention, Ambassador Markus Reiterer: “This joint initiative generated valuable discussions on the different (legal) situations, problems and approaches concerning mountain biking in the Alps. The participants debated on challenges and possibilities towards good practical solutions to conserve the sustainability of Alpine nature on the one hand and mountain bike activities in the Alps on the other hand”. Mr. Reiterer also expressed his warm appreciations concerning the fruitful cooperation with the City of Innsbruck.
Furthermore, the Tourism Protocol of the Alpine Convention encourages environmentally-friendly tourism policies, taking the interests of the local population, cyclists and tourists into account. The event also served as a test run for possible future activities in this field.