Winter sports hotspot combines nature and culture

Hiking and rock climbing are popular activities in the warm summer months while in winter, people come for cross-country skiing and tobogganing in the enchanting snowy landscape. Every structure is useful as people go hiking in summer on the same route they ski in winter.

With the Olympics legacy, Tirol is set to connect its impact of the evolution of major winter sport events with the development of a wealthy touristic region in all seasons, according to Florian Kahr, Head of China and Russia Region of Tirol Tourism Bureau who represented the western Austrian province at the expo.

The legendary ski resort of Kitzbuhel hosts the world's most dangerous and prestigious downhill race, the Hahnenkamm, in January. Skiers start from an altitude as high as 2,000 meters and speed down the 3.3-kilometer course to 600 meters in altitude within two minutes. Kitzbuhel is also paradise for shoppers, as it features a cluster of luxury stores.

With an area of 12,600 square kilometers, the province boasts one of the world's top 10 skiing resorts, St. Anton/Arlberg, with 305 kilometers of slopes friendly beginners and professionals alike and a ski season that lasts as long as late April. Travelers can take a free coach ride from the central city to skiing resorts with their passes.