Lake Millstatt moves into thermal tourism

With stunning panorama views and spectacular lakes Carinthia is a winner in the summer in attracting tourists but the lakeside tourism opportunities are limited by the weather.

But at the thermal lake at Millstatt locals have taken the first step towards making lakeside enjoyment and almost all year-round activity with the building of Carinthia’s first bathhouse.

Laying the first stone project managers said that the 3.6 million Euro project was meant to make the lakeside tourism industry less dependent on the weather and the seasons.

The establishment should attract guests to the lake in the cold days of autumn and spring and by doing so extending the tourist season. The bathhouse’s passive building standards include lakeside saunas and heated swimming pools, and they are supposed to work towards creating Carinthia’s own thermal landscape.

But another district council but also the province and private hotel owners joined together to fund the 3.6 million Euros required to construct the bathhouse. The EU also put in funds.

Come autumn, the establishment will be up and running, and will eplace the old indoor pool, which was badly in need of renovation. The Millstatt bathhouse will be open to visitors and locals alike, and access to the nearby beach remains in place.

“With the Millstatt project we want to collect experience, to one day build a bathhouse next to every lake in Carinthia,” says District Tourism leader Achill Rumpold (ÖVP).

No decisions regarding further projects have been made so far: “There are interested parties, but there is a lack of space and sponsors. The EU pays for the projects, together with the district and the country, but one third must come from private tourism investors – like in Millstatt. To find these investors is not easy, and requires much time,” says Rumpold.