2015 A YEAR TO REMEMBER
The Südtirol Sellaronda HERO and the Sellaronda MTB TOUR have enjoyed an exceptional year, first with the holding of the World Championships, and second with the new impulse which has been given to the tourism offer. And today there is more to add for at Moena in Val di Fassa the prestigious theALPS Award 2015 has been won by our double mountain bike project in the Dolomites. The innovative tourism offer of the Sellaronda MTB TOUR, promoted at a global level by the Südtirol Sellaronda HERO greatly impressed theALPS Award voting panel, the project being chosen as winner from 24 projects associated with the world of biking and realised in the Alpine ranges.
2015
has been a special year indeed. After the Sellaronda HERO playing host to the
UCI World Championships Marathon another recognition today came the way of the
HERO. In fact the interregional project Sellaronda
MTB TOUR / HERO (tha latter held in 2008 for the first time)
was chosen as winner of the prestigous
theAlps Award, triumphing over 23 other “alpine” contenders,
the overall number being reduced to 5 contenders for purposes of the awards
ceremony, the voting panel having scrutinised carefully all nominations.
Today’s success underlines the potential of the project, it already widely appreciated by the general public: from the initial 120 bikers that back in 2008 dared to challenge the Sella Group by
bike,
numbers have risen in drastic fashion and this summer just gone more than
10,000 embarked on the Tour. To proudly receive the award there was Gerhard Vanzi, he the
man behind the original idea and subsequently promoter in chief of the
Sellaronda MTB TOUR / HERO project.
Today’s success underlines the potential of the project, it already widely appreciated by the general public: from the initial 120 bikers that back in 2008 dared to challenge the Sella Group by
bike,
numbers have risen in drastic fashion and this summer just gone more than
10,000 embarked on the Tour. To proudly receive the award there was Gerhard Vanzi, he the
man behind the original idea and subsequently promoter in chief of the
Sellaronda MTB TOUR / HERO project.
«I am really happy to receive this
AWARD - said Gerhard
Vanzi - It
is a great recognition to all friends and partners who have believed in the
idea of the Sellaronda MTB TOUR and the Sellaronda HERO and who have always
supported this project.My thanks go to all who have contributed to the success
of the project. The adventure does not stop here. The mountain bike and the
sport of mountain biking are evolving all the time. We are ready to take on new
initiatives to thrill and excite both participants and the public in general»
The peak of recognition
It is important to note that theALPS Award is awarded annually by a voting panel comprised of representatives from AlpNet, an alliance of the alpine regions of Tirolo, Südtirol, Trentino, Graubünden, Luzern Tourism, Rhône-Alpes, Valais and BE!Tourism Valais. The alliance has as a shared objective the development of alpine tourism and to secure its place in a global context. The regions associated represent a sum of 245.3 million overnight stays in the alpine region, this being 66% of the overall total.
The Sellaronda TOUR proposal
Thanks
to the natural integration betwen lift facilities and trails, they becoming
more and more specific for mountain bike use, the Sellaronda TOUR
enables you to bike around the Sella Massif in the company of expert guides. It
is a fun way to disover the Dolomites in all their beauty and to choose the
type of tour you prefer: the classic variety, the one appealing to foodies
(Gourmet Tour), even for the less expert bikers by using electric mountain
bikes (E-Bike Tour), and then the single trails and adreanline pumping
enduro downhills (Gravity Tour). You can bike the Sellaronda MTB Tour in both
clockwise and anti-clockwise diections, setting off with your guide from any of
the villages in the four valleys (Arabba, Val di Fassa, Val Badia and Val
Gardena), and of course by using the lift systems when necessary you can reduce
the altitude level you cover and avoid any not so inviting climbs.
A new type of tourism
The Sellaronda MTB TOUR / HERO has opened the way for mountain bike tourism in the four
valleys of the Dolomites. Back in 2007 no lift system allowed the transport of
bikes for reasons of safety and civil responsibility. Introducing the idea of
an expert mountain bike giide to accompany tourists any risk was significantly
reduced, and hence the first lift owners became involved, and the the
first tour was in an anti-clockwise direction. From then on the success of the
initiative became the driver of development and today the Sellaronda MTB TOUR
has the coperation of all 4 valleys and the 12 lift systems which joined up to
the initiative ensure that the four types of tour can successfully operate
(both in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions). By so doing the Tour appeals
to both the less expert biker and to those who are looking for thrills via a
testing downhill rush.
Südtirol Sellaronda HERO: the vital communication role
The communication strategy and the promotion of the Sellaronda MTB TOUR has principally been handled through the Südtirol Sellaronda HERO marathon, the world’s toughest MTB race, it providing a great platform for an integrated promotional mes
sage.
The race has become an indicator of mountain bike progression and popularity,
and in itself offers a great alternative way to enjoy and appreciate the
Dolomites. Just 2 years after its initial launch and ever since then it has
reached its full quota of registrations in just a few hours after the
registration process being open, 70% of participants being Italian and 30% from
abroad, and this second category will surely increase in number as the race
continues to enjoy an ever growing popularity on the world scene. The hosting
of the World Marathon Championshios in 2015 is merely the tip of the ice-berg
in this sense, 23,600 overnight stays in Val
Gardena being booked (82.000 in total if one counts the six
editions of the HERO) and an income of 3.5 milion Euro (12 million Euro in six
years). Moreover the event has enabled the destination to be promoted in 50
countries and by so doing highlighting both the area and the Sellaronda MTB TOUR
tourism packages on offer, all this to a communication value of more than 5
million Euro.
For further information please visit: www.sellarondahero.bikeThe peak of recognition
It is important to note that theALPS Award is awarded annually by a voting panel comprised of representatives from AlpNet, an alliance of the alpine regions of Tirolo, Südtirol, Trentino, Graubünden, Luzern Tourism, Rhône-Alpes, Valais and BE!Tourism Valais. The alliance has as a shared objective the development of alpine tourism and to secure its place in a global context. The regions associated represent a sum of 245.3 million overnight stays in the alpine region, this being 66% of the overall total.
The Sellaronda TOUR proposal
Thanks
to the natural integration betwen lift facilities and trails, they becoming
more and more specific for mountain bike use, the Sellaronda TOUR
enables you to bike around the Sella Massif in the company of expert guides. It
is a fun way to disover the Dolomites in all their beauty and to choose the
type of tour you prefer: the classic variety, the one appealing to foodies
(Gourmet Tour), even for the less expert bikers by using electric mountain
bikes (E-Bike Tour), and then the single trails and adreanline pumping
enduro downhills (Gravity Tour). You can bike the Sellaronda MTB Tour in both
clockwise and anti-clockwise diections, setting off with your guide from any of
the villages in the four valleys (Arabba, Val di Fassa, Val Badia and Val
Gardena), and of course by using the lift systems when necessary you can reduce
the altitude level you cover and avoid any not so inviting climbs.A new type of tourism
The Sellaronda MTB TOUR / HERO has opened the way for mountain bike tourism in the four
valleys of the Dolomites. Back in 2007 no lift system allowed the transport of
bikes for reasons of safety and civil responsibility. Introducing the idea of
an expert mountain bike giide to accompany tourists any risk was significantly
reduced, and hence the first lift owners became involved, and the the
first tour was in an anti-clockwise direction. From then on the success of the
initiative became the driver of development and today the Sellaronda MTB TOUR
has the coperation of all 4 valleys and the 12 lift systems which joined up to
the initiative ensure that the four types of tour can successfully operate
(both in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions). By so doing the Tour appeals
to both the less expert biker and to those who are looking for thrills via a
testing downhill rush.Südtirol Sellaronda HERO: the vital communication role
The communication strategy and the promotion of the Sellaronda MTB TOUR has principally been handled through the Südtirol Sellaronda HERO marathon, the world’s toughest MTB race, it providing a great platform for an integrated promotional mes
sage.
The race has become an indicator of mountain bike progression and popularity,
and in itself offers a great alternative way to enjoy and appreciate the
Dolomites. Just 2 years after its initial launch and ever since then it has
reached its full quota of registrations in just a few hours after the
registration process being open, 70% of participants being Italian and 30% from
abroad, and this second category will surely increase in number as the race
continues to enjoy an ever growing popularity on the world scene. The hosting
of the World Marathon Championshios in 2015 is merely the tip of the ice-berg
in this sense, 23,600 overnight stays in Val
Gardena being booked (82.000 in total if one counts the six
editions of the HERO) and an income of 3.5 milion Euro (12 million Euro in six
years). Moreover the event has enabled the destination to be promoted in 50
countries and by so doing highlighting both the area and the Sellaronda MTB TOUR
tourism packages on offer, all this to a communication value of more than 5
million Euro.