Sad swimming pool balance sheet

“You just can’t sugarcoat this summer”

The Waldbad Enz is also open for a few hours in rainy weather. A few regulars are always there.

(Bild: sos)

So far, the weather has put a spanner in the works for Vorarlberg's pool operators. The hot bathing days, on which guests flocked to the outdoor pools in droves, can be counted on one hand so far. But from Thursday, there are signs of improvement.  

The months of May and July in particular are well below average," summarizes Herbert Kaufmann, Managing Director of Dornbirn Tourismus and Stadtmarketing GmbH. There were some good phases in July. If he has his way, these should be repeated at the end of July and in August.

The Waldbad Enz, which lies within his area of responsibility, is also open in bad weather. From 8.30 a.m. to 11 a.m., all water lovers have the opportunity to take a dip even when it rains. "And we have some regular guests who make use of this," says Kaufmann.

Due to its location, nestled between wooded hills, the rather cooler Enz is a popular place to swim on hot summer days. The water temperature is currently well over 20 degrees. However, it was a little cooler at the beginning of the season. "That's because it needs longer heating phases at the beginning. We use the water from the Dornbirner Ach for heating. If this is too high, the sluices close so that the heat exchanger is not damaged by sediment, pebbles and the like," explains Kaufmann.

New heating system for the coming season
However, flooding or damaged heat exchangers will be a thing of the past from the coming season. From then on, an air heat pump will be used. The Dornbirn-based company plans to start work at the end of the season on September 8.

There is always hot water in the Walgaubad in Nenzing. "The special thing about our pool is the high water temperatures," explains Managing Director Oliver Tschabrun. Of the six pools, the 50-meter pool still has the lowest temperature at 25 degrees. In the 25-meter pool and the Aquafit pool, the temperature is 29 degrees. Tschabrun also sees the pleasantly warm temperatures as the reason why the swimmers come despite the rainy weather. "On Monday morning, we had already counted 50 swimmers by 10 a.m."

In the Walgaubad in Nenzing, too, a few brave souls always defy the bad weather.

(Bild: sos)

All in all, however, the interim balance in Nenzing doesn't look too rosy either. "You simply can't sugarcoat this summer," says Tschabrun. Compared to last year, 38 percent fewer visitors have come so far. The drop in revenue is 20 percent, which is also below the ten-year average.

"But the accounts will only be settled at the end," says the Managing Director optimistically. The weather should improve again from Thursday. If this continues, the tills at the outdoor pools could start ringing again. Tschabrun knows from last year what a difference a few nice days can make. "In September 2023, we had 20,000 bathers and were still able to break even.

Herbert Kaufmann does not want to extend the Enz season. "We know from experience that interest and motivation are rather low." But at least as important as the figures is the fact that the season continues to be accident-free!