45th Annual General Meeting Of The Gasteiner Bergbahnen Held

The annual general meeting of Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG held last Friday was characterized by pleasing balance sheet figures and personnel decisions. In the winter of 2022/2023, around 830,000 visitors were transported. The following summer, the cable car company even recorded the most successful summer season in its history with over 220,000 guests. The long-time chairman of the supervisory board, Josef Weißl, was farewelled at the event in the Kursaal Bad Hofgastein, and Franz Gasselsberger was presented as a new member of the supervisory board.

“We are pleased that after several difficult years we can look back on a season that was unaffected by Corona.

The number of guests has developed accordingly. The forecasts for this year's summer are also positive. We therefore expect to be able to exceed the 200,000 visitor mark in 2024,” explained Andreas Innerhofer, board member of Gasteiner Bergbahnen, at the presentation of the 2022/2023 annual report. The cable cars in Gastein Valley start a long summer season on May 17th with 171 days of operation - cable car operations will run until November 3rd, 2024.

A varied offering attracts guests

The 2022/2023 winter season ended with exactly 831,686 entries, four percent less than in the record 2018/2019 season. After an excellent start to the season, capricious weather and closing days prevented an even better result. In the summer of 2023, the trend towards vacationing in the local mountains continued. “We now have up to five cable cars in operation in order to be able to offer summer guests a varied offer: from long hikes for nature and mountain sports enthusiasts to family activities and viewing points for those who just want to enjoy the panorama and the mountain air,” says Andreas Innerhofer.

Investment focus on sustainability

The record summer is reflected in the revenue. In the 2023 summer season, the Gasteiner Bergbahnen had a turnover of 4.23 million euros. That is now around twelve percent of the total transport turnover of 36.15 million. 8.5 million euros were reinvested in the reporting period, particularly in sustainability projects such as the Schlossalm solar park and other photovoltaic systems. “Sustainability will remain a core issue for us in the future. At the same time, we want to further increase the attractiveness of Gastein as a destination through quality improvements,” concluded Andreas Innerhofer.

Personnel changes in the supervisory board

The newly appointed Supervisory Board will be jointly responsible for the planned investments. The previous chairman Josef Weißl announced his departure at the 45th general meeting. He has been part of the committee since May 2006 for 18 years. Franz Gasselsberger and Marcus Bumberger from Oberbank, the main shareholder of Gasteiner Bergbahnen, as well as new mayor Norbert Ellmauer joined the supervisory board as new members.

Immediately after the general meeting, Franz Gasselsberger was elected as the new chairman in a constitutive election by the other supervisory boards.

With around 130 year-round and up to 110 seasonal workers, Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG, based in Bad Hofgastein, is one of the largest employers in Gastein and one of the largest cable car companies in Austria. The core business of Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG is the two-season operation of 25 cable cars and lifts and 124 kilometers of slopes in Bad Hofgastein, Bad Gastein and Sportgastein in winter and the three mountains Schlossalm, Stubnerkogel and Graukogel in summer. Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG is part of Ski amadé, the largest ski association in Austria.

The traditional company, created in 1979 from a merger of the former mountain railway companies from Bad Hofgastein and Bad Gastein, stands for the highest quality and safety standards in order to transport up to 15,000 visitors every day to the peaks and slopes of the Gastein Valley. Modern lift systems, innovative technologies and the greatest possible comfort have ensured particularly pleasant skiing pleasure since the company was founded. In order to be able to meet these standards in the long term, the cable car company attaches great importance to constant quality control, forward-looking planning and crisis prevention.