Liste Fritz wants state audit office to inspect Tyrolean tourism boards

Tyrol’s opposition Liste Fritz party is calling for the state audit office to be able to inspect tourism boards on its own initiative, ORF reports. The proposal faces opposition from the boards and Tyrol’s tourism councillor, Mario Gerber of the People’s Party.

The party’s parliamentary leader, Markus Sint, says an independent audit would add transparency and help identify problems. He argues that tourism boards should be subject to the same kind of scrutiny as municipalities, even though both also have their own oversight bodies.

Tyrol has 34 tourism boards, which promote the region, maintain hiking, cross-country skiing and cycling routes, run leisure facilities and provide services to visitors. Together, they reported revenue of 280 million euros in 2025. Ötztal Tourism was the largest by revenue, with 30.7 million euros, followed by the Innsbruck and holiday villages board with just over 23 million euros.

The boards are funded through visitor and tourism levies, which businesses in Tyrol are required to pay. They are independent public-law bodies and are overseen by the state’s tourism department. The state audit office currently has no authority to audit them. Liste Fritz says the existing state oversight is only occasional, a point the audit office has reportedly raised.

Representatives of the Tyrolean tourism boards say they already face extensive checks. Adrian Siller, a board member of the Association of Tyrolean Tourism Boards and head of the Stubai tourism board, said spending decisions pass through several levels of approval. He added that cash audits take place twice a year, financial reports are presented to general assemblies and an independent auditor also reviews the accounts.

Gerber also rejects the proposal, saying another layer of audits would increase bureaucracy. He said each tourism board already undergoes six checks and questioned the cost of hiring more staff to conduct another round.

Sint said the proposal is not to hire 30 additional auditors to inspect all 34 boards every year, but to give the state audit office the option to carry out checks. In Salzburg, the state parliament has unanimously approved expanding its audit office’s powers so it can inspect the tourism boards there on its own initiative. The dispute followed debate over the finances of Salzburg’s 78 boards, which have combined revenue of about 50 million euros.