TranStat - Transitions to Sustainable Ski Tourism in the Alps of Tomorrow
Principal Investigator at ZRC SAZU
Maruša Goluža, PhD-
Original Title
Trajnostna preobrazba smučarskih središč v Alpah
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Acronym
TRANSTAT
Project Team
Janez Nared, PhD, Primož Pipan, PhD, Katarina Polajnar Horvat, PhD, Petra Rus, PhD, Aleš Smrekar, PhD-
Duration
1 November 2022–31 October 2025 -
Lead Partner
Nacionalni inštitut za raziskovanje kmetijstva, prehrane in okolja (FR), Labora…
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Project Leader
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Financial Source
Interreg Alpine Space
ARIS
Partners
Université Grenoble Alpes, Regional Council Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, University of Milan, Lombardy Region, Austrian Academy of Sciences, alpS Gmbh, ecoplus Alpin, ZRC SAZU, Development agency for Upper Gorenjska, University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons
The winter tourism industry in the Alps is highly dependent on climate conditions and the consequences of climate change in the mountains. As climate change leads to a rapid decrease in snow cover, mountain stakeholders face the challenge of managing impacts on the socio-economic system. TranStat aims to promote the implementation of new models of tourism, economic, social and environmental development in Mountain Resorts, understood as ski resorts and their territory. The project partners will address this overall issue through the development of a physical and digital network of resorts in transition in order to share knowledge and support resort managers and local stakeholders.
TRANSTAT shall:
- Create tools and methodologies for sustainable touristic, economic, social and environmental transition of alpine mountain areas;
- Foster participatory approach in order to identify the challenges, and to elaborate scenarios and co-constructed solutions for the future development of mountain resorts;
- Develop policy recommendations at local, regional, national and transnational alpine scale. It will foster the implementation of transition processes in order to integrate economic diversification and quality of life for the population.
Visit the official project website.
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Supported by the European Union through the Interreg Alpine Space program: the value of the project at ZRC SAZU is €290,500.00, with ERDF funds amounting to €217,875.00 (75%). Total eligible costs of the project: 2.223.167 €. ERDF grants: 1.593.318 €.
Report on the diversity of the transition processes at the Alpine scale - Transition Pathways Typology
This deliverable is part of Work Package 3 of the TranStat project and aims to analyse and compare the diverse transition processes currently unfolding in Alpine mountain resorts. It examines the development visions and transition pathways pursued in response to socio-economic, environmental, and governance challenges—particularly those linked to climate change and the growing vulnerability of winter tourism.
Catalogue of Good Practices by TranStat
Drawing on analytical work and nine Living Labs in France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Slovenia, the report demonstrates that successful transitions depend on robust governance, social inclusion and cross-sectoral coordination. Each Living Lab tested locally adapted approaches to overcome systemic barriers and inspire transferable solutions.
Catalogue of Good Practices
Output: TranStat Cookbook
A practical, flexible, and comprehensive collection of step-by-step guidelines designed to support Mountain Resorts in their participatory transition toward desirable futures. It establishes a Transition Framework that helps identify and engage stakeholders in the transition process while fostering a shared understanding of what those desirable futures entail. The collection brings together all content developed within the Work Package (WP), with a strong focus on stakeholders’ experiences and lessons learned, and constitutes a key component of WP2.
Output: Roadmap for transition processes
Road map for transition processes: with a baseline and visual design, it will illustrate the different steps of the participatory approach: create the LLs, Diagnosis until the design of transition scenarios. In these different steps, the Roadmap will show and provide some concrete experiences based on the work done with and in the LLs and products from WP3 (A31 Transition pathways and 3.2 Short and long-term thematic actions-sheets).
Output: Policy Recommendations
Based on the WP2 insights (A2.4) and the WP3 (A3.1), these policy recommendations will be structured on various chapters, one for Eusalp level and other for regional contexts. It will propose some adapted directions to swell the current policies to better support sustainable management in MRs.
Position Paper: Rethinking Winter Tourism in the Alps the TranStat consortium’s position on the transition of Alpine mountain winter destinations
Mountain resorts face increasing pressure from climate change, shifting tourism demands, and environmental degradation. To ensure their long-term resilience, a coordinated transition toward sustainable, year-round models is essential. This Policy Paper proposes concrete actions at Alpine and national levels to guide this transformation.
Developed within the framework of the TranStat project (Transitions to Sustainable Ski Tourism in the Alps of Tomorrow, Interreg Alpine Space), these recommendations aim to support decision-makers in steering this transition. The findings build on synergies with three complementary initiatives — BeyondSnow (Interreg Alpine Space), PITON (Pyrenees Innovation for a Holistic Mountain Transition), and MountResilience (Horizon Europe) — strengthening a shared vision for the sustainable future of Europe’s mountain regions.