Tourism Games by Ischgl to address the shortage of skilled workers in tourism

Successful premiere: young talents from Austria and Germany competed in the disciplines of cooking, bartending and marketing at the Tourism Games by Ischgl on 23 April 2024. The best fresh talent comes from Schlosshotel Ischgl.

There was no sign of a shortage of skilled workers in Ischgl on 23 April. At the 1^st Tourism Games by Ischgl, almost 80 young talents aged between 16 and 30 competed against one other individually and as teams of five (two in the cooking category, two in the marketing category and one in the bartending category), taking on challenges in the respective category and presenting their skills. A high-calibre panel of experts from the fields of science, tourism and gastronomy evaluated their performance on the legendary Ischgl Stage on the Idalp, at the Champagne Club and in the 3-S Pardatschgratbahn cable car. In addition to the title "Heroes of the Day", the best in each category – Schlosshotel Ischgl, Alpenresort Schwarz and Trofana Royal in the cooking category, Tourism Academy Salzburg, Bad Leonfelden Tourism School and TFBS Landeck in the bartending category and Bad Leonfelden Tourism School, Schlosshotel Ischgl and Hotel Mallaun in the marketing category – were awarded exclusive non-cash prizes. The three best teams (Schlosshotel Ischgl, Bad Leonfelden Tourism School and TFBS Landeck) were rewarded with 7 days with a Michelin-starred chef (cooking category), training to become a certified bartender (bartending category) and a Paznaun day trip with an influencer (marketing category). The Tourism Games by Ischgl were supported by numerous acclaimed event partners.

"We are delighted with the large turnout at our premiere event. With the Tourism Games by Ischgl we aim to give the next generation of skilled workers a stage. When you see the beaming winners and the outstanding achievements of the many young talents from tourism businesses and schools across Austria and Germany, we can safely say we have achieved this together with the Economic Chamber," explains Thomas Köhle, Managing Director of the Paznaun - Ischgl Tourism Association. There was also great praise for the successful event from the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber through Anna Kurz, Chairwoman of the Gastronomy Department: "The Tourism Games by Ischgl offer an excellent opportunity to counteract the shortage of skilled workers in the tourism industry and to show young people the appeal of working in tourism."

Ischgl's answer to the shortage of skilled workers: CREW project promotes and rewards employees in Paznaun

True to the motto #bestplacetowork, the Paznaun villages of Galtür, Ischgl, Kappl and See and all their employers have made it their mission to spark enthusiasm amongst employees not just with attractive jobs, but also with a wide range of leisure and educational opportunities. Since 2018, Paznaun’s employees have been able to flourish in their free time with CREW Benefits, the CREW Academy and CREW Activities as part of the "Paznaun – Ischgl CREW" initiative and enjoy special discounts. Full details of the CREW project can be found at www.paznaun-ischgl.com/crew.