Higher boat taxes reduce traffic on Austria’s Wörthersee

Motorboat traffic on Lake Wörthersee has fallen sharply this year, according to ORF, after Carinthia introduced stricter environmental rules and increased the motorboat levy. Tourism businesses say the decline is already affecting them.

At the marina in Reifnitz, many berths are occupied, but numerous boats have been covered and taken out of service. For the owner of an average motorboat, monthly costs have risen from about 600 euros to around 900 euros.

“Today is August 24. If you look out at the lake now, there is practically nobody out there,” said René Mureny of Marina Reifnitz. “That has not happened to this extent in the past 50 years, since I have been closely involved with the lake.”

Mureny blamed the motorboat levy collected by the state, which is due to rise again next year. He said increasing it by 50 percent was disproportionate compared with the rest of Europe.

Restaurants and bars on the shore are also feeling the impact. Matthias Trattnig of Hotel Linde in Maria Wörth said the lake had already had the highest motorboat taxes in Europe and that some owners were now looking for alternatives. “The overall mood is a little poor,” he said.

Stefan Sternad, a spokesperson for the restaurant sector, said the measures might be penalising a group that contributed significantly to the region through spending and environmental investment. “I would also say that we should not throw the baby out with the bathwater,” he said.

The water police said reduced motorboat traffic had also led to fewer accidents. There has been one serious accident so far this year, in early May, when a boat crashed into Kapuziner Island. The driver was injured and had a blood alcohol level of 1.6 per mille.

Police chief Peter Wallner said intensive checks had also deterred boaters. Officers are sometimes deployed in two boats from 6 a.m. until late at night, and several intoxicated boat drivers had been taken off the water.

High fuel prices may also have contributed to the decline, with many owners of combustion-engine motorboats limiting their trips on the lake.