TVB chairman takes stock

Defying all crises: Ischgl makes a comeback

Alexander von der Thannen points to a track record of success.

(Bild: Die Fotografen, stock.adobe.com, krone.at-Grafik)

Alexander von der Thannen, TVB Chairman Paznaun-Ischgl, wants to continue with his concepts after the election on September 18th, the balance sheet has several exclamation marks. He describes the ingredients for a successful comeback to the "Tiroler Krone" newspaper.

Half of Europe - and even more so the Austrians themselves - pointed to the "sin village" of Ischgl during the coronavirus turmoil. Several lockdowns and mood lows later, the resurrection was a success. "Despite all the crises and horror scenarios, we have continued to work hard and strategically," emphasizes TVB Chairman Alexander von der Thannen in an interview with Krone.

The winter of 2023/24 matched the best times before the pandemic down to 19,500 overnight stays. This is what von der Thannen will be focusing on when almost 1,500 voters elect the chairman of TVB Paznaun-Ischgl for another five years.

The main aim is to score points with bike offers.

(Bild: Wallner Hannes)

Former managing director Steibl is also standing for election
Andreas Steibl, former managing director and for many years the "face" of the successful resort in terms of tourism and media, is a contender. The election campaign is reportedly playing hardball, but von der Thannen prefers to talk about the successes of his time in office. "There are great projects underway that I still want to complete," hopes the entrepreneur and hotelier (Trofana Betriebe). His "large team of supporters" brings together numerous well-known people in the valley.

We have built nine bike trails with a total length of more than 100 kilometers.

Alexander von der Thannen

Being attractive outside of winter too
One of the main focuses is to make Ischgl more attractive outside of the winter season. "We have built nine bike trails with a total length of more than 100 kilometers," he says, referring to the enormous investments. Specifically, for example, 2.2 million euros for the Silvatrails in Galtür or the expansion of the Silvretta Bike Arena by around 1 million euros.

The E-Bike World Championships also attracted many athletes and visitors.

(Bild: Wallner Hannes)

Sporting events went splendidly
Series of events such as the "Spring Blanc" in spring and the "Golden Summit" in fall have been established. The Ischgl Ironbike (700 participants), the E-Bike World Championships (1200 registrations) and the Ischgl Ultra Trail (800 athletes) were very popular.

Tourism in Paznaun should run 300 days a year
Another recent focus has been on digitalization - with the renewal of the website or the Ischgl app, with which all events and experiences can be viewed and booked on a cell phone.

"Overall, the aim is for tourism in the valley to run 300 days a year," says von der Thannen, outlining his plans.