Conflicts occur time and again in Carinthia's forests and on the mountains - and cyclists are also affected. "Mountain bikers are very important for tourism, so there needs to be an appropriate balance between the different interest groups," says Sebastian Schuschnig, Provincial Councillor for Tourism. These are farmers and landowners, sportspeople and the tourism organizations that want to offer guests a varied range of activities.

Mountain biking has become increasingly popular in recent years: "A guest survey has shown that 20 percent of our guests explicitly come to Carinthia for a cycling vacation," says Carinthia Tourist Board CEO Klaus Ehrenbrandtner, underlining the potential of cycling: "We are talking about the highest growth rate of all types of vacation!" This is why Carinthia Marketing will continue to focus on this target group in the future.

There are already 3600 km of legalized cycle paths in our province, and a lot of money is being invested to expand this offer: "In the coming years, around 10 million euros will be invested in the cycling infrastructure," Schuschnig continues. The renovation of Terra Mystica, the expansion of the cycle path in the Lieserschlucht gorge and the Gurktal and Drautal cycle paths are just some of the projects mentioned in this regard.

What does the mountain bike guide say?
Specifically, this guide is a standardized basis for the use of bikes in Carinthian forests. It contains regulations on the signposting of bike trails, the minimum compensation of 37 cents per meter of trail for landowners, as well as details on mountain bike infrastructure facilities.

"However, I would particularly like to emphasize the conclusion of a nationwide liability insurance policy that offers landowners the greatest possible legal certainty," emphasize Schuschnig and Huber. This covers the costs of unjustified legal claims in particular.

"We don't want to be seen as obstructionists," assures LK President Huber, but also points out that forests are an important source of income for farmers and foresters. The guideline is intended to mitigate this potential for conflict and ensure good cooperation between landowners, tourism operators and sportspeople.

If a tourism association or a municipality is planning a cycling project - for example a new trail - the guide regulates the process until a contract or agreement is finally reached with the landowner.

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