Economy Of Saalbach-Hinterglemm

In Saalbach-Hinterglemm, tourism is the main industry generating income and jobs. As of the 2011 census, Saalbach-Hinterglemm boasted 1,536 workers. Of these, 41 in agriculture and forestry, 287 in the manufacturing sector, and 1,208 were working in the service sector.

Of the 96 agricultural enterprises in 2010, 35 were run by full-time farmers. The production sector hired 161 people in the construction sector, 85 in the manufacturing of goods, 34 in the energy supply, and 7 in water supply and waste disposal. The main employers in the service sector were accommodation and catering (503 employees), transport ( 201 employees), trade (171), and social and public services (151 employees).

Tourism

The main economic source of the community is travel. Most jobs either directly or indirectly depend on it. One of Salzburg’s most popular tourist destinations is the Glemmtal. Saalbach-Hinterglemm noted 1.6 million overnight stays in 2019, 1.1 million during the winter and 0.5 million during the summer. One stayed on average 3.8 days. The main source markets were Germany (40%), Austria (18%), the Netherlands (12%), the United Kingdom (7%) and Belgium (5%).

With an especially focus on those who enjoy mountain biking and winter sports, Saalbach-Hinterglemm offers a varied range of events and attractions for visitors in all seasons. The municipality has made significant investments in the modernizing and development of its infrastructure and facilities in order to increase its attractiveness and competitiveness.

Saalbach-Hinterglemm and the environs have 15 cable cars, 17 chair lifts, and 24 drag lifts total. In the municipalities of Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Leogang, and Fieberbrunn sits the ski area Skicircus Saalbach-Hinterglemm/Leogang/Fieberbrunn. Offering 270 km of slopes for skiing and snowboarding, it is among Austria’s most varied and large ski resorts. Of these, 140 km are blue, 112 km are red, and 18 km are black—difficulty level. There also is an illuminated slope. Connecting the ski area—which offers a range of services and conveniences including ski schools, ski rentals, ski depots, restaurants, bars, and stores—is a vast network of ski buses.

Apart from skiing and snowboarding, Saalbach-Hinterglemm offers a range of winter sports including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, tobogganing and curling. Among the ten kilometer groomed paths on the Reiterkogel are ice skating rinks, floodlit toboggan runs, curling lanes, and a high-altitude trail.

To help the snowmaking systems, eight storage ponds were built; almost 700 snow cannons were placed to ready the slopes. Saalbach became an international symbol among alpine winter sports venues when the Alpine World Ski Championships held in 1991.

For families, hikers, and mountain bikers especially, Saalbach-Hinterglemm is also a popular summer travel destination. To suit a range of tastes and degrees of difficulty, the municipality has developed a thorough system of paths, trails, and routes. There are 40 km of valley bike paths, 400km of mountain bike paths, 120km of e-bike trails and more than 400km of marked hiking paths. Summertime operations of the cable cars and lifts provide easy access to the mountains and panoramic views.

Outdoor pools, waterfalls, playgrounds, golf courses, and cultural events are among the varied summer activities and attractions Saalbach-Hinterglemm offers. The following offers show Saalbach-Hinterglemm’s repositioning as The Valley of Games in summer tourism:

Käpt’n Hook outdoor adventure pool: A water park with slides, waterfalls, rapids, whirlpools and a pirate ship.
Devil’s water: A natural theme park with water mills, ponds, bridges, caves and a barefoot path.
Montelino’s adventure trail: A family-friendly hiking trail with interactive stations, puzzles and surprises.
Mount Kodok: An adventure trail with riddles, challenges and a treasure hunt.
Schnitza’s wood park: A park with wooden sculptures, carvings, games and a workshop.
High ropes course: A course with 200 elements, 29 stations and 8 routes of different difficulty levels.
Geocaching – “Power Trail”: A treasure hunt with GPS devices and hidden containers.

Infrastructure

A developed infrastructure helps Saalbach-Hinterglemm’s tourism and economy. The public transportation available in the municipality consists in buses, taxis, and shuttle services. The buses link the nearby towns and villages—Zell am See, Maishofen, Viehhofen, Leogang, and Fieberbrunn—Saalbach and Hinterglemm. The taxis and shuttle services supply individual and group transfers to and from the airport, train station, and other locations.

By a road network, the municipality also connects to the main highways and roads in the region. Linking Saalbach and Hinterglemm with the Pinzgau Straße (B311) and the Saalfelden-Leogang Straße (L204), the Glemmtal Landesstraße (L111) winds across the valley. Access to the Inntal Autobahn (A12) and the Tauern Autobahn (A10) respectively comes from the B311 and the L204. Furthermore reachable via the L204 are the Loferer Straße (B178) and the Hochkönig Straße (B164). Salzburg Airport lies around ninety kilometers away. About twenty kilometers separate the closest train station, Zell am See.

Saalbach-Hinterglemm also provides a range of public services and facilities meant to satisfy the needs of its residents as well as guests. Schools, kindergartens, health centres, pharmacies, banks, post offices, police stations, fire stations, churches, museums, libraries, sports centres, cultural centres and community halls fall under this category.