Gurgl Claims Huge Success for First World Cup Race
30th November 2023
Last modified on December 15th, 2023
The resort claims the added value generated by the sports event is estimated at €1.8m. With significant British interest in the resort as Dave Ryding came 4th.
The high-altitude Austrian resort held World Cup slalom racing on 18th November.
We remember it as GB’s Dave Ryding came 4th in a stunning first race of the season.
The resort claims it sparked significant British interest in the resort, that is already well-known by British skiers and snowboarders.
“Thanks to popular Dave Ryding, the only British winner in the Alpine Ski World Cup to date, Gurgl also has a sporting influencer in the important English target market,” said the resort in a statement.
“The athlete shared his immediate impressions of the World Cup premiere in his Austrian home base with his followers, creating huge interest for skiing and winter holidays.”
Dave is sponsored by Gurgl.
Dave Ryding. Image © PlanetSKI
PlanetSKI’s editor, James Cove, interviewed him in Gurgl last year and Dave told him what he makes of the area in an in-depth interview.
Apart from increased British awareness, there was the attention made by the media and online presence for the start of the winter season in Gurgl across Austria and elsewhere
On Austrian television, around half a million viewers watched the slalom race.
Austria took all three places on the podium.
“Thanks to the fabulous images we were able to present ourselves brilliantly and convey the message that nothing stands in the way of a winter holiday in the Alps,” said the project manager of the World Cup in Gurgl, Alban Scheiber.
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
The €1.8m includes also overnight stays as well as expenses by day visitors on site, for example in the restaurants and catering businesses.
Gurgl attracts an average of up to 7,000 online visitors on an average day.
This went up to 31,000 website hits on the day of the race.
The same applies to social media response.
Almost 390,000 people were reached via Instagram and Facebook and over 16,000 interactions were recorded.
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
Val Thorens, France. Image © PlanetSKI
