Alarming location: protective huts and hiking trails in Austria acutely endangered!

Alarming location: protective huts and hiking trails in Austria acutely endangered!

Österreich - On April 24, 2025, the FPÖ environmental spokesman NABG warns. Thomas Spalt ahead of an impending financing crisis for protective huts and hiking trails in Austria. The alpine infrastructure, which is of crucial importance for mountain tourism, ensures thousands of jobs in the affected regions. Spalt emphasizes that there are currently more than 272 protective huts and 50,000 kilometers of hiking trails in acute emergency. In recent years, three to four huts have had to be closed annually, as there is a lack of financial resources to maintain their business ability.

These alarming numbers are underpinned by the Association of Alpine Associations, which determines that the current federal funding grants cover less than 18 % of the necessary maintenance costs. The situation is so serious that some hiking trails had to be blocked or completely abandoned. Despite the growing popularity of hikes, in which 65 % of vacationers come to Austria to explore the mountains, the necessary hiking infrastructure suffers significantly from the given circumstances.

urgent need for action

Spalt calls for the government to finance and secure the alpine infrastructure. An application in the National Council provides for an extensive package of measures, which includes basic renovations and an increase in federal funding. In addition, administrative relief for volunteers and paths are to be created to support the concerns of the alpine clubs.

The need for such measures is underlined by the increasing requirements for the alpine infrastructure due to climate change and other challenges. As the website reports, there are problems with maintaining the hiking trails and recruitment of new hut owners. Numerous huts are empty and the search for tenants is increasingly difficult. Factors such as personnel deficiency and the high costs for renovation work contribute to the crisis.

Influence of climate change

In addition, the effects of climate change exacerbate the existing situation in the Alps, as the Vitalpin platform has shown. The Alps are particularly affected by the climatic changes, which entails direct effects on tourism and the alpine way of life. Climate change leads to changed weather conditions that also affect the hiking infrastructure.

High costs for the supply of protective huts, often due to helicopter flights, are in stark contrast to the sparse grants, which only cover part of the maintenance costs. Many huts have already reached an age of 70 to 110 years and need urgent renovations that are increasingly complex not only because of the financial means, but also because of the difficult geographical conditions.

The Alpine Association has also alerted that damage to the network of paths increases due to extreme weather events. In 2021 alone, the costs for maintenance were estimated at over a quarter of a million euros. These developments mean that fewer hiking trails are in good condition, which leads to considerable consequences for the safety of hikers. The population must become aware of the changed framework conditions and fight for adjustments to ensure the future of alpine tourism.