Tiroler Zugspitz Arena Presents Its Success Report And New Managing Director
The Tyrolean Zugspitz Arena looks back on a successful tourism year in 2024/25. At the general meeting of the tourism association in Ehrwald, the overnight stay statistics were presented, along with the new management team. It was emphasized that the region's success was primarily due to the excellent cooperation with its members and the continuity of the association's leadership.
The Tyrolean Zugspitz Arena is located on the Austrian side of the Zugspitze mountain and comprises seven villages: Ehrwald, Lermoos, Biberwier, Berwang, Bichlbach/Lähn-Wengle, Heiterwang am See, and Namlos. As a year-round holiday destination, the region offers a wide range of leisure activities – from hiking, biking, and water sports in the summer to skiing, cross-country skiing, and winter hiking in the colder months. The Tyrolean Zugspitz Arena Tourism Association is the region's official destination management organization and serves as the central point of contact for guests, partners, and the media.
In the 2024/25 tourism year, overnight stays in the Tyrolean Zugspitz Arena rose to 1,849,331 (2023/24: 1,812,382), achieving the best result in the past ten years. Arrivals also saw an increase of 3.3% compared to the previous year, rising to 464,686 (2023/24: 449,856). While the winter of 2024/25 brought a 1.75% increase in overnight stays, summer overnight stays rose by around 2.3% – due to mild temperatures and the wide range of activities available for active holidaymakers and families.
Germany and the Benelux region as the most important markets
Germany remains the main source market with a 62.87% market share, followed by the Netherlands (19.87%), Belgium (5.36%), and Switzerland and Liechtenstein (4.36%). High-profile events such as the traditional mountain bonfires at the summer solstice – a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010 – and the Red Bull X Alps, the world's toughest adventure race, are popular with both tourists and locals. The Tiroler Zugspitz Arena also demonstrated its pioneering spirit by organizing the 2nd Alpine Climate Summit on the Zugspitze, an expert forum with 13 panel discussions and a certified Green Event that generated enormous media attention. This year also saw the inaugural Bike Opening in Lermoos, marking the start of the biking season: a clear indication of the tourism association's strong commitment to cycling and sports infrastructure.
New infrastructure and innovation projects
“The successful development of the infrastructure, such as the new Wetterstein Trails, which will open in spring 2026, is making the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena an increasingly attractive holiday and leisure destination for nature-loving and sports-enthusiastic guests,” emphasized Chairman Theo Zoller at the general meeting. Björn Scherer, the new Managing Director of the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena since September 1, 2025, added: “By participating in the regional network of fully automated weather stations in cooperation with wetter.com, Germany’s largest weather service provider, we are making an active contribution to improving weather forecasts throughout Tyrol. Locals, guests, and hosts all benefit from this. More precise, locally collected data reduces miscalculations in apps, gives businesses and guests greater planning certainty, and helps to better align planned leisure activities with actual conditions. This project marks a milestone in the 2024/25 tourism year, one on which we intend to build in the future.”
New managing director, continuity in the association's leadership
During the past tourism year, a change in management also took place. Björn Scherer, 47, a native of Ehrwald, took over as Managing Director on September 1, 2025, succeeding Petra Fraune, who announced her departure in April 2025. Scherer brings 27 years of business expertise and banking experience, most recently as branch manager of the Tiroler Sparkasse (Tyrolean Savings Bank). Chairman Theo Zoller was re-elected to his position by the Supervisory Board at last year's general meeting. Zoller thus represents continuity and reliability in the leadership of the association and, ultimately, together with the members, the success of the entire tourism region.
