And first, a bit of history…
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1991: a political will
The Alpine Convention is signed. An international Treaty ratified by eight countries – Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Slovenia, Liechtenstein and Monaco – and the European Union, with the shared objective of ensuring sustainable development of the entire Alpine region.
1999: a visionary project
On the initiative of the Grande Traversée des Alpes (a French association specialising in walking tourism) a project for a great transalpine walking trail is launched both as a symbolic link between the eight countries who have signed up to the Alpine Convention, as the cultural expression of the Alpine region and to support the development of sustainable tourism.
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2000: a name, a brand
At the headquarters of the Rhône-Alpes region, in Lyon-Charbonnières, the representatives of the various States, regions and associations met to form an International Steering Committee (ISC). The christening of the project is complete: it will be called Via Alpina. The public launch is planned for summer 2002 so as to coincide with the International Year of the Mountains.
2001-2004: a working trail
Within the framework of the European programme Interreg Alpine Space, the trails are identified, marked and described and first multilingual promotional tools are created. Studies and pilot projects for improving the quality and the sustainability of tourist offers are carried out. The Via Alpina is officially recognised by the Environment ministers of the eight Alpine countries as contributing to the implementation of the Alpine Convention.
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2005-2007: a « royal path » for discovery
Thanks to the new Interreg funding a second development phase is launched. Objective: to work closely with all local stakeholders to help visitors and walkers to discover the natural and cultural heritage of the Alpine region all the way along the trails and to develop the tourism services on offer.
2008...: responsible tourism
The eight partners agree to strengthen walking tourism on the Via Alpina by using both their specific tools, a common Internet site and an International Secretariat managed by the Grande Traversée des Alpes.
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