Культурный компонент значения в переводе англоязычных текстов

Organization

            Each of the nine Austrian provinces has responsibility for tourism administered by the

provincial government and a tourist board. At national level tourism is the responsibility of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Promotion of Austria is the responsibility of the Austrian National Tourist Organization, a joint public/private agency with funding from the government and the Chamber of Commerce.

The tourism authorities in Austria are upgrading tourist infrastructure generally, particularly in the area of sports and facilities for activity holidays, and extending the network of ski lifts and funiculars. Nevertheless some resorts (such as Mayrhofen) have halted further development in line with Austria’s green image and this may have persuaded potential skiers to choose France instead.

Tourism resources

             Austria contains 35 per cent of the Alpine area (compared to Switzerland’s 15 per

cent) and the country is famed for its lake and mountain scenery, winter sports facilities and picturesque towns and villages. Trending east–west across the country and separated by the deep valley of the river Inn, the mountains are Austria’s main attraction. Here tourism is often the only economic land use and is seen as a remedy for the problems of a declining agriculture. However, this is not without environmental costs, such as forest hillsides and meadows scarred from ski-lift development or villages marred by insensitive building.

Each of the Austrian provinces can offer distinctive attractions:

_ The Tyrol is by far the most popular destination for foreign visitors, containing

the most spectacular Alpine scenery and the greatest number of ski resorts.

 

        Tyrolean folklore and costumes are the best known of Austria’s traditional

cultures. Most of the resorts have been developed from farming villages situated

in the tributary valleys of the river Inn – the Otztal and Zillertal for example – at

altitudes of between 1000 and 1800 metres. Traditional building styles, based on the chalet that is well adapted to heavy winter snowfalls, provide a pleasant ambience for holidays. Summer activities in the Tyrol include hiking and gliding, while most villages are equipped with a swimming pool and facilities for tennis and other sports. Tourist centres include the following:

_ Innsbruck, which is not only the capital of the Tyrol but an important cultural

centre. The many Renaissance buildings are a reminder of its former role as a

summer residence for the Hapsburg emperors. Along with the ski resorts on the

slopes nearby, the city has twice hosted the Winter Olympics.

_ St Anton, Kitzbühl, Söll, Seefeld and Mayrhofen are also ski resorts of international

significance.

_ The Vorarlberg to the west of the Arlberg Pass is similar to the Tyrol, but also has some affinity with neighbouring Switzerland. Lech and Zürs offer up-market skiing, while Bregenz on the Boden See is a popular lake resort and venue for music festivals.

_ The tiny independent principality of Liechtenstein, which is better known as a tax haven than as a winter sports destination, has strong historical ties to Austria but uses the same currency as Switzerland. 

_ The province of Salzburg and the Salzkammergut area (so called because of the historically important salt mining industry) offer gentler lake and mountain scenery. St Wolfgang is the most popular of the resorts in summer, but its entertainment scene is subdued compared to Söll or Kitzbühl in winter. Other attractions include the Krimml waterfalls in the Hohe Tauern National Park, the Dachstein ice caves and the spas of Bad Ischl and Bad Gastein.

_ Domestic tourists mainly favour the forested ‘green province’ of Styria, although the city of Graz was designated as the ‘European capital of culture’ for 2003 by the EU Council of Ministers. Carinthia is increasingly popular with foreign visitors as a summer holiday destination, where the warm sunny climate and lakes such the

Wörther See, offering many facilities for water sports, are the main attractions.

_ The remaining provinces of Austria, occupying the Danube Valley, are scenically less attractive, with large areas of lowland supplying most of the country’s agricultural needs. The Burgenland is similar in its steppe landscapes to neighbouring Hungary (to which it historically belonged), while the shallow Neusiedlersee is an important nature reserve. Both the provinces of Upper and Lower Austria contain vineyards, monasteries (such as Melk) and castles (such as Dürnstein) and it is possible for the tourist to see these on a Danube river cruise from Vienna. Whereas Graz, Linz and Innsbruck are important regional centres, only two of Austria’s cities – Vienna and Salzburg – attract huge numbers of visitors from all over the world, thanks to their heritage of music and architecture:

_ Vienna is full of reminders of its imperial past. These include the monumental

buildings lining the Ringstrasse encircling the old city, and the art treasures

housed in the former palaces of the Hofburg, Belvedere and Schönbrunn. Music

and dance are as much a part of the city’s social and entertainment scene as they

were in the time of the ‘Waltz King’ (Johann Strauss) in the nineteenth century.

The State Opera House and St Stephen’s Cathedral are also part of this musical

heritage. The city is an efficiently run modern conference venue, with an international role as a United Nations centre, while geographical location makes it the recognized gateway to

Eastern Europe.

_ Salzburg has a flourishing tourism industry based on:

_ The summer music festival, which was further boosted in 1991 by the Mozart

bicentenary celebrations. During festival time, accommodation in this relatively

small city is at a premium.

_ The ‘Sound of Music connection’. Classical music lovers are outnumbered by

those tourists who are attracted to the city and the scenic countryside of lakes

and mountains nearby, through their associations with this popular film.

_ Its unique heritage of Baroque architecture – probably unrivalled outside Spain or Italy – which was brought into being by the powerful Prince–Bishops who once ruled Salzburg.

 

 

 

 

Switzerland

          Switzerland is poor in natural resources and contains a diversity of languages and cultures. Yet its people have achieved a degree of political stability and economic prosperity that is envied by the rest of the world. Swiss industrial products, based on a high input of skill in relation to the value of the component raw materials, have an international reputation for quality. Similarly, the country’s scenic attractions –arguably the most spectacular in Europe – have been intelligently exploited by a hospitality industry that is renowned for its professionalism. Historically, the country developed as a loose federation of cantons – small mountain states – fighting to preserve their independence from foreign domination, and in many respects the cantons still play a more important role in Swiss politics than the federal government in Berne. At the local level the communes also determine tourism planning and development to a large extent, in line with the Swiss tradition of direct citizen participation in politics.

          Tourism in Switzerland has a long history, and the industry was already well established in the late nineteenth century. Its development came about as a result of a number of factors:

 

_ From early times, Switzerland was a transit zone for invading armies, merchants and pilgrims, and later had to be crossed by wealthy travelers undertaking the Grand Tour. The Swiss were in demand as guides, as there were no serviceable roads and the Alpine passes were often hazardous. Accommodation was also needed for travellers, the most famous example being the hospice on the St Bernard Pass.

 

_ As a result of the Romantic Movement in art and literature at the close of the

eighteenth century, the mountains were no longer seen as a barrier to be feared,

but as a resource to be valued. For example, Byron and Shelley stayed for a considerable time by Lake Geneva, and summer resorts gradually developed for

well-off tourists around other lakes in Switzerland.

 

_ From the middle of the nineteenth century the demand for tourism in Switzerland grew as the result of the Industrial Revolution in Western Europe, the improvement

in road and rail communications and the growth of the middle class, particularly

in countries like Britain, where Thomas Cook did much to popularize the country.

The more adventurous tourists sought the challenges of mountain climbing,

following Whymper’s ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. More remote areas of the Alps were progressively opened up to tourism with the construction of funicular and cog railways, and hotels were built at what was then the edge of the Alpine glaciers, such as the Aletsch.

 

_ Although Switzerland had been known for its spas since Roman times, substantial development of health tourism occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a result of the spread of tuberculosis in the industrial cities of Europe. The pure mountain air in spas such as St Moritz Bad and Arosa was believed to provide a remedy for the disease.

 

_ Skiing and other winter sports were introduced to St Moritz and the resorts of the Bernese Oberland by wealthy British tourists at the close of the nineteenth century. At first, the existing mountain railways – now operating year-round – were used to transport the skiers to the slopes, but as demand grew from the 1930s onwards, they were largely superseded by faster, more efficient aerial cableways.

 

_ International trade had long been important to Swiss cities such as Geneva. The

strict neutrality of Switzerland and its multi-lingual character encouraged the

growth of all kinds of business and conference tourism. Starting with the Red

Cross, Geneva became the venue for many international organizations, while

Zurich is a financial centre of worldwide significance. Berne and Lausanne – the headquarters respectively of the Universal Postal Union and the Olympic

Committee – also provide important conference functions.

 

Demand for tourism

Domestic and outbound tourism

           The Swiss have one of the highest holiday propensities in the world, with around 75 per cent taking a holiday of at least four nights.  Demand for domestic tourism has grown in the past five years.

 

Domestic holidays contrast with those taken abroad as they tend to be winter sports or mountain holidays, many taken in the months of January to March. Swiss holidays abroad are concentrated into the summer months of July to September and the most popular destinations are Italy and France.

 

Inbound tourism

           Demand from foreign visitors to Switzerland has stagnated since the 1990s (although

the travel account remained in surplus) for the following reasons:

_ the strength of the Swiss franc, which has given Switzerland a reputation as an

expensive country to visit as is reflected in the increasingly short lengths of stay

of foreign visitors

_ declining levels of service

_ an old-fashioned image of Switzerland.

As in Austria, Germans account for the majority of visitors. Around 40 per cent of bednights occur in the winter season (November to April), a figure boosted by the Swiss participating in winter sports.

 

Supply of tourism

Transport

         The private car dominates travel in both the domestic and foreign travel market. As in Austria, the transport networks are tortuous and the topography often demands major engineering feats – the 18 kilometre tunnel under the St Gotthard being an outstanding example, while the roads over the Alpine passes are spectacular. Even so, roads in the High Alps are often blocked by snow from November to June. While the road network brings many remoter parts of the country within reach of day visitors, this has created congestion in holiday areas. Imposition of tolls may alleviate this congestion.

The Swiss Federal Railways and the private railway companies operate 5000 kilometres of track (1400 kilometres are narrow-gauge) and there are many mountain railways, funiculars and rack-and-pinion systems which are often tourist attractions in themselves. Although the cost is high, tunnels and snowploughs allow the railways to operate throughout the year.

There are three international airports – at Zurich, Geneva and Basle. Swissair – the former national airline – was a casualty in the wake of 9/11, and was replaced by Swiss International Air Lines, financed by the private sector. Other features of the Swiss transport system, which is highly integrated, include the postal coaches – which penetrate the remotest villages – bicycle hire at many rail stations, and lake ferries.

 

Accommodation

         The development of accommodation since the 1970s has led to an excess of supply over demand. About a third of the serviced accommodation capacity is only available in the winter season, particularly in the high ski resorts (such as St Moritz and Arosa). Most hotels are small with the few larger hotels found mainly in Zurich and Geneva. Hotels and holiday chalets (mainly catering for groups of skiers) are highly dependent on foreign labour. ‘Supplementary accommodation’, including holiday

chalets, apartments, holiday villages and camping/caravan sites, provide a lowercost alternative to hotels for foreign visitors, but they are also popular with domestic holidaymakers.

 

Organization

         In the face of declining international demand for Switzerland in the 1990s, the Swiss National Tourism Organization was renamed ‘Switzerland Tourism’ in 1995 and underwent restructuring and a refocusing of priorities. It is responsible to the Federal Department of Public Economy and formulates and implements national tourism policy. Switzerland’s maturity as a destination is reflected in the long tradition of tourist associations and information services at local and regional levels. There are also many specialist organizations such as the Swiss Travel Bank that was founded to give less privileged workers the chance to go on holiday.

 

Tourism resources

          The most popular area is the Alpine zone, attracting over half of all visitor arrivals. Here lie the majestic snow-capped peaks, glaciated valleys and winter sports developments that are Switzerland’s trademark. However, tourist development has placed pressures upon the society and environment of the area and the integration of tourism into the agricultural and forest economies.

Each of the Swiss cantons has its own range of attractions, but several major

tourist areas stand out.

 

_ The Bernese Oberland The most spectacular Alpine scenery is found here, south

of the lake resort of Interlaken. An excellent network of funicular railways and cableways provides access to the snowfields and glaciers, the most famous ascending the slopes of the Jungfrau and Eiger. At Lauterbrunnen there is a classic example of a glaciated valley with spectacular waterfalls. Long popular with British tourists, the area preserves Swiss rural traditions and at the same time has some of the most sophisticated ski resorts in Europe, notably Gstaad, Wengen and Grindelwald.

_ The Valais This includes the upper Rhone valley as far as the Simplon Pass and a number of small historic towns. The most well-known resort is Zermatt, with its views of the Matterhorn, but the most popular ski area is Crans-Montana, where considerable development has taken place.

_ Lake Lucerne and the Forest Cantons The fjord-like Lake Lucerne is arguably the most beautiful body of inland water in Europe. The cantons around it, especially Schwyz, are historically important as the cradle of Swiss independence. Lucerne is a picturesque city, famous for its medieval Chapel Bridge.

_ The Grisons In some respects this is the most traditional part of Switzerland. In the villages of the Engadine Valley the Romansch language is still spoken . This canton also contains the Swiss National Park where endangered alpine species such as the chamois are protected. In contrast are the number of spas and ski resorts catering mainly for wealthy tourists, the most famous being St Moritz, Davos and Klosters.

_ Lake Geneva This French-speaking area attracts a wealthy international clientele to its schools, the festival resort of Montreux and the shopping and nightlife of Geneva. This city’s role as a United Nations centre is showcased by the Palais des Nations.

_ The Ticino The Italian-speaking Ticino enjoys the warmest climate in Switzerland due to its sheltered location and the moderating effect of Lakes Lugano and Maggiore. The landscape has Mediterranean features such as palm trees, lemon orchards and colourful towns and villages. Travellers from northern Europe appreciate he contrast most in early spring, when they emerge from the cold and gloomy weather prevailing north of the St Gotthard into the warm sunshine of the Ticino Valley. Locarno, Lugano and Ascona are important holiday resorts and major conference

venues.

_ The Mittelland Most of the Swiss population lives outside the Alps in the

plateau region to the north and west, and the important industries are located in

the Basle–Winterthur–Zurich triangle. Basle on the Rhine has a historic university and is a major cultural center, while Zurich contains the Swiss National Museum, but Berne is probably the most interesting city from a tourist viewpoint. The picturesque old town, with its medieval shopping arcades and Clock Tower, is a World Heritage Site.

_ The Jura The western boundary of Switzerland lies along the forested Jura

Mountains. Less spectacular than the Alps, this region accounts for only a small

percentage of tourist overnights. The small towns of the region, such as Les Chaux de Fonds, are noted for traditional Swiss crafts such as watchmaking.