From climate challenges to a Competitive Future of the Alpine Region

11.03.2026Sparks

As part of the 65th Vitranc Alpine Ski World Cup, the business forum “From Climate Challenges to a Competitive Future of the Alpine Region” took place on 7 March 2026 in Kranjska Gora, organised by SPIRIT Slovenia and Advantage Austria.

The forum brought together 63 companies from Slovenia and Austria, along with experts from different sectors, to exchange views on how the green transition, new energy solutions, and digital technologies can help strengthen the resilience and future development of the Alpine region. Much of the discussion focused on tourism, energy, and digitalisation — areas that are becoming increasingly important as climate change is already affecting the region’s economy and way of life.

Sustainable tourism was a key topic, as it is increasingly affected by shorter winter seasons and more unpredictable weather. The discussions focused on developing year-round tourism and using digital tools to better manage visitors and reduce pressure on the environment.

In the panel Digital Solutions: Tourism and Sport of the Future, Urška Starc Peceny, Chief Innovation Officer and lead of the Tourism 4.0 initiative at Arctur, spoke about the importance of data and digital technologies in building more sustainable tourism models. She presented the DEPLOYTOUR – Sustainable Tourism Management in Alpine Regions project as an example, showing how artificial intelligence and data analytics can help better understand tourist flows, environmental impacts, and the capacity of individual destinations.

These kinds of solutions, she noted, make it possible to plan more effectively, encourage more responsible visitor behaviour, and better balance tourism development with the protection of fragile Alpine ecosystems.

The forum concluded that the Alpine region will only stay competitive in the long run if it continues to strengthen cooperation, invest in innovation, and adapt quickly to the realities of a changing climate.