Posted on 14 July 2012
Innsbruck has been the capital of the Tirol since 1429, and is one of the best-known skiing destinations in Austria. Kitzbuhel, St Anton, and Mayrhofen are only an hour away from Innsbruck, and the city has long-lasting connections with winter snow sports and Alpine skiing. It hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976, but it has much more to offer visitors and investors as it is a year-round destination.
Innsbruck even has the advantage of offering summer snowboarding and skiing, as glacier skiing is available from Stubia, Kaprun and Hintertux during the summer months, and can offer a nice respite from the heat of the summer sun.
The actual city is compact and packed with history, and is busy year-round with tourists. There are two universities, which is a lot for a town with a population of just 120,000. The hills surrounding Innsbruck have many hiking trails, and there is a mountain range to the North which is worth a trip in the winter or summer.
Not surprisingly there are many mountain biking trails available during the summer, including at the well-known resort of St Anton. However these biking trails tend to be less well-developed than those in the major North American and highly commercialised resorts such as Whistler.
The Austrian property market is renowned for its stability, even during the current Eurozone crisis. It has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the EU which greatly benefits the property market. A survey by Ernst & Young at the end of last year found more than half of the investors interviewed thought Austria was an attractive location for property investment in comparison with other European countries.