New strategy

Local fares only through the front door

With the Freizeitticket, RegioCard and Snowcard, skiing in Tirol is comparatively cheap!

(Bild: Peter Maier / Austria)

Leisure tickets and the like for everyone, not just for locals! This is what the EU wants. Cable car operators are reacting with advance booking windows: discounted network tickets are only available to those who are local to Tyrol.

The Verein für Konsumenteninformation (Association for Consumer Information) filed a lawsuit to ensure that the Verbundticket leisure ticket, Regio- and Snowcard are available to everyone and not just those whose main place of residence, work or study is in Tyrol. A violation of the Equal Treatment Act was suspected.

Advance booking window as an innovation 
Local tariffs have also come under scrutiny at EU level. As reported, the lawsuit has been on ice since July, but the Verbundkarten have nevertheless reacted and found what they consider to be a practicable solution: "Despite this situation of legal uncertainty, the cable car companies are endeavoring to continue to ensure attractive conditions for the population. To this end, the ticket associations have created advance sales windows in which it will be possible to maintain low fares," emphasized Thomas Schroll, authorized signatory of Freizeitticket, and Reinhard Klier, Tyrol's cable car spokesperson, on Thursday. "The population who want to take advantage of this offer is therefore called upon to come to the advance booking offices in the region in good time in the fall."

I don't expect many people from Vorarlberg and Salzburg to travel to Tyrol to buy a ski pass here. They have attractive ski resorts themselves.

Thomas Schroll, Prokurist

Online sales no longer available: attendance required
At the same time, online ticket sales will be discontinued without replacement. This means that anyone who wants to buy a discounted ticket must appear in person in good time. It is difficult to estimate how many additional tickets can be sold by the extended group of buyers. "In any case, it is not our aim to sell as many combined tickets as possible," says cable car spokesperson Klier on behalf of all companies, as the proceeds from this are up to a third less than those from regular ticket sales.

Thomas Schroll, authorized signatory of Freizeitticket Tirol

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

"I don't expect many people from Vorarlberg and Salzburg to travel to Tirol to buy a network ticket here. They have attractive ski resorts themselves," Thomas Schroll is convinced.

Price increases in detail
The all-season ticket providers published their respective tariffs for the 2024/25 season on their websites on Thursday. For the leisure ticket, the adult ticket now costs 727 euros in advance. "With an increase of 6%, we are below the 7.3% increase in personnel costs. And energy costs are still comparatively high," emphasized Schroll. The standard rate for the all-year ticket now costs 872 euros, the RegioCard 914 euros and the Snowcard 1124 euros (VVK 989 euros). 

Cable car operators warn of negative developments
In essence, the lawsuit is about the fact that the leisure ticket can only be purchased by residents of Tyrol, which is illegal in the opinion of the VKI. "Differing legal opinions and lawsuits will inevitably lead to negative developments in the cable car companies' tariff systems and there will be changes to ticket prices," explained cable car spokesperson Reinhard Klier.

The ball is clearly in the politicians' court
Although the lawsuit has been suspended, the fundamental accusation of geo-blocking remains and the discussion initiated by the VKI and the Finanzprokuratur requires urgent action. The EU's Geo-blocking Regulation has prohibited discrimination based on nationality, place of residence or place of establishment since 2018. Reinhard Klier believes "the ball is clearly in the politicians' court".