SalzburgerLand extends the desire for winter, New campaign promotes winter chillout
05/March/2026
While the first signs of spring are already beckoning people outdoors in eastern Austria and many valleys, the slopes of SalzburgerLand still offer excellent skiing conditions. The new "Winter Chillout" campaign aims to extend the enjoyment of winter sports for those who feel the snow is already a distant prospect and to ensure higher occupancy rates towards the end of the season.
The winter season in SalzburgerLand has been very successful so far, judging by the overnight stay figures. "December already saw a new record with more than 3 million overnight stays, representing an increase of 12.8 percent compared to December 2024, marking an outstanding start to the season. Increases in overnight stays and arrivals were also recorded in November, and the feedback for January and February is also excellent," said Member of the SalzburgerLand Parliament Hans Scharfetter during a media briefing on February 16.
The new "Winter Chillout" campaign, launching in mid-February, will provide a significant boost to further promote skiing – the most popular winter activity for visitors – before Easter. The figures speak for themselves: While overnight stays across the entire Salzburg region reached nearly 4 million in January and 4.2 million in February last year, they dropped to 2.7 million in March and just under 1.3 million in April. Looking at the winter sports-relevant regions of Tennengau, Pongau, Pinzgau, and Lungau, a similar picture emerges for 2025: 3.7 million and 4 million overnight stays in January and February, respectively, but 2.4 million and 895,000 in March and April.
“For years we have noticed that interest in ski holidays declines somewhat from mid-March onwards. Yet this is precisely the time when conditions are ideal: the slopes are still perfect, the sun is already beckoning people to the terraces of the ski lodges and it is significantly less crowded than in the high season,” explains Leo Bauernberger, Managing Director of SalzburgerLand Tourismus GmbH (SLTG), justifying a new initiative that aims to extend the winter season for potential guests.
With the end of the Salzburg semester break, the "Winter Chillout" campaign, developed by SLTG in cooperation with Salzburg's winter sports regions and cable car operators, is launching. "We want to make even better use of the late winter's potential; the capacity is there," explained Bauernberger. He backed this up with figures: While bed occupancy in the state of Salzburg has consistently ranged between 67 and 71.5 percent in February over the past three years, it dropped to between 38.3 and 44.4 percent in March and to between 13.6 and 20 percent in April. Occupancy rates in March and April are strongly linked to the month in which Easter falls. There is still considerable potential towards the end of the season.
Statements – Late winter from the perspective of:
Michael Walchhofer, downhill world champion, hotelier & chairman of the Altenmarkt-Zauchensee tourism board: “For me, spring skiing in March and April is the most beautiful time of winter and ideal for pleasure-oriented skiers like myself. Pleasant temperatures, plenty of space on the slopes, and virtually no waiting times at the lifts make this a real insider tip for skiing enjoyment. In addition, we offer particularly attractive package deals during this time, such as the Easter family promotion, the Best Ager Weeks, Ladies Week, the popular Dixieland Week, wine tastings, and other culinary highlights. Every extra week of the season generates significant added value for the entire region – from hotels and ski lifts to sporting goods stores, restaurants, taxi companies, and regional suppliers. This strengthens the local economy sustainably. At the same time, longer seasons secure jobs and create more stable conditions, allowing qualified employees to be retained in the region long-term.”
Felix Gottwald, Austria's most successful Olympic athlete, author, speaker, and trainer: "For many, late winter is the time between winter and spring – for me, it's the best time to truly enjoy winter. Late winter offers the ideal combination of exercise, sunshine, enjoyment, and regeneration – from skiing, cross-country skiing, or ski touring in the morning to wellness, culinary delights, and the first rounds of golf in the afternoon. This isn't wishful thinking – these are the possibilities in SalzburgerLand. 'Winter Chillout' isn't just a slogan for me, it's a philosophy: less hustle and bustle, less stress – more quality."
Sandra Lahnsteiner-Wagner, freerider, filmmaker, certified ski guide, ski instructor, and ski trainer: “In many winters, late winter is one of the most predictable periods for ski touring and freeriding. The greatest snow depths are often not reached until March, the snowpack is frequently (ideally) more evenly distributed, hazards are sometimes easier to identify, the weather windows are more stable, and the days are longer – of course, always depending on the year and region. For me, March and April are often the best time for freeriding and ski touring. You can experience everything: from dry powder to truly beautiful spring snow descents. And ending a relaxed day of skiing – whether on the slopes or off-piste – with friends on a sunny terrace or at a mountain hut is what makes a perfect day in the mountains for me.”
Mario Siedler, Managing Director of the Obertauern Tourism Association::“Previously, a winter season lasted from Christmas to Easter. Now, thanks to events on the one hand and snowmaking capabilities on the other, we've managed to start the season much earlier. It's important to understand that every leisure activity has a peak season when the desire to pursue it is greatest. This means that every week we start the season earlier makes it more difficult to fill the slopes. This is precisely where we come in, and we want to bring our guests closer to this wonderful time of year, with its longer days and consistently excellent snow conditions. Spring skiing in March and April is truly the time for everyone to enjoy the winter experience at its most intense.”
Target group: spontaneous visitors from nearby markets
The target audience for the "Winter Chillout" campaign is primarily spontaneous, winter sports-loving guests from Austria and Germany, the two most important source markets in winter. The campaign aims to generate concrete bookings for the second half of March and the beginning of April with emotive imagery, clear messaging, and attractive offers. "Our goal is to remind potential guests of the many advantages of late winter," explains Bauernberger.
The period between mid-March and Easter is a particularly attractive time for an enjoyable winter holiday:
• The slopes are in excellent condition, but less crowded.
• Pleasant temperatures invite you to enjoy sunny skiing and relaxing on the terraces.
• Hotels have vacancies.
• Skiing in the morning, golfing or cycling in the afternoon – anything is possible.
High-reach campaign
SLTG, together with its partners, is investing around €900,000 in promoting late winter. Plans include a radio campaign with several stations (Ö3, Kronehit, FM4, RMS), live segments from the ski resorts with Kronehit and Café Puls, high-reach media partnerships in Austria (Mediaprint, Salzburger Nachrichten, Bezirksblätter, ProSiebenSat.1 Group, Red Bull Media House), comprehensive online and social media marketing measures, as well as traditional press and media relations.
Winter Chillout Events
The partner regions have come up with a whole range of events and specials for the Winter Chillout. From March 9th to 28th, there's March Glow3 at Hochkönig with plenty of music, guided sundowner ski tours, cinema, and torchlight hikes. From March 13th to 15th and 20th to 22nd, the Retro Festival takes place in Gastein with DJs and open-air concerts. From March 21st to 28th, there's the Lady Ski Week in Großarltal, and on April 11th, the SHESKIS Ladies' Ski Day in Obertauern features an ABBA symphonic tribute. Saalfelden Leogang has put together a "KIDS ON SKI" package, the Rauris Valley invites families to a winter finale, Gastein focuses on combining activity on the slopes with relaxation in the thermal baths, and the National Park holiday region offers a fantastic package to close out the season. These and numerous other attractive offers, events and tips for a sunny skiing holiday in SalzburgerLand can be found on the new landing page www.winterchillout.com.
Ski schools and rental shops as partners for attractive offers
To coincide with the campaign, special offers have been created for ski schools and ski rentals: There's a Winter Chillout Ski & Board Deal where guests can rent equipment for three days but only pay for two, or rent it for four days but only pay for three. The late-winter ski school special, the Winter Chillout Private Ski School Deal, offers two hours of private ski lessons for the price of one between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Both offers are valid between March 8 and April 12, 2026.
Utilizing growth potential
“Tourism, with its direct and indirect value creation, contributes around 13 percent to the gross regional product in the state of Salzburg, which is twice the Austrian average,” explained Member of the Provincial Parliament Scharfetter, illustrating the importance of this sector for the region's prosperity. At 14.8 percent, tourism's share of total regional employment in Salzburg is also significantly higher than the Austrian average of 6.8 percent. Of the €6.2 billion spent on tourism (as of 2023), €3.79 billion, or 61.1 percent, went to accommodation and food services. During the peak season, capacities are largely exhausted, but late winter still offers potential for growth, Scharfetter emphasized.
