Over 100 experts (managing directors and board members of companies active in sport) nominated their personal favourites in six categories. In each category, five nominees were prepared for further voting by the editorial team of Sport Business Magazine. The result was made up of online voting (50 per cent) and the jury's decision (50 per cent). More than 10,000 people took part in the online voting. On 27 November 2018, all nominees were invited to the award ceremony at the Haus des Sports in Vienna. In the category "Sport Tourism Region of the Year", the destination Saalfelden Leogang was able to secure second place. First place went to Schladming-Dachstein and third place to Innsbruck.
Marco Pointner, Managing Director of Saalfelden Leogang Touristik, is delighted: "We are extremely pleased with this top result. Second place is a special honour. This result is only possible because the various service partners in the region pull together and continue to improve the quality and innovation of the leading tourism products."
The Saalfelden Leogang holiday region inspires 365 days a year with high-calibre sports experiences and top events. Whether biking, hiking, skiing or Nordic sports - the region offers high-quality infrastructure and activities. In the colder months, you have the choice between skiing in the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn, Austria's most laid-back ski area with 270 kilometres of pistes, and concentrated Nordic expertise, which makes the region the Nordic centre of Salzburgerland. With the Nordic Park, Ritzensee is now home to the heart of Nordic activities: kilometres of cross-country ski trails, also with floodlights, a natural ice rink, easy winter hiking trails and the Fun & Snow Park for first attempts at cross-country skiing. In addition to leisure activities, there are also a variety of events: the Saalfelden Ski Marathon with more than 350 cross-country skiers, the Nordic Park Experience with the Kids Winter Games, the Nostalgia Ski World Championships, and much more.
In summer, the region is a true hiking paradise. "Simply hiking" is the motto here, an invitation to devote yourself entirely to nature and exercise, without distraction, without stress. Special benches, forest swings and photo points have been set up along many of the trails so that you can enjoy these simple moments of walking even more and change your perspective. The "stick sharing" concept has also been developed: simply take your sticks with you when you set off at the relevant stations and return them to the starting point after the hike. Saalfelden Leogang has also made a name for itself when it comes to biking. The Bikepark Leogang, international bike events, countless trails for rookies and pros, specialised bike accommodation, shops and schools make a bike day an all-round experience. The bike park is so comprehensive and good that it will even host the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Championships for the second time in 2020. The UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup is also held here every year. In 2018, Saalfelden Leogang hosted the BIKE Festival for the first time, which has been known for decades from Riva on Lake Garda and Willingen in Sauerland.
Picture:
From left to right: Julia Zraunig (Innsbruck Tourismus), Katharina Auer (Saalfelden Leogang Touristik), Melanie Schaumberger, Hansjörg Stocker (both Schladming-Dachstein Tourismusmarketing), Dagmar Pichler (Sport Business Magazin) and Harald Bauer (Österreichische Sporthilfe) © Sport Business Magazin
