The success story of the Styrian Tourism Panther continued on 17 October. The Styrian Tourism Panther awards ceremony took place for the sixth time at the Bad Gleichenberg tourism schools. This prestigious award honours outstanding graduates, exemplary Styrian businesses and important tourism personalities from Austria and abroad who stand for Styrian hospitality.
Ennstal-born Josef Landschützer, Managing Director of Energie Steiermark Kunden GmbH, held the laudatory speech for the first prize winner in the Future & Innovation category. This Panther Award went to the 4-star superior Hotel Schwaigerhof in Rohrmoos. ‘The Schwaigerhof is a model business that not only epitomises Styrian hospitality, but is also a real prime example in the field of energy generation and use,’ said Landschützer.
From the mountains of the Enns Valley, he travelled across the Atlantic to Miami, where graduate Christopher Prelog, President of Windstar Cruises, an American cruise line with luxury ships for a maximum of 350 passengers, was presented with the International Tourism Panther. His brother Florian, also a proud graduate of the Styrian management training centre, gave the laudatory speech. Florian Prelog is head chef at the Hotel Lighthouse on the North Sea.
‘My older brother is not only my greatest role model, but also an outstanding
representative in the tourism industry’
The journey continued to the picturesque wine region of southern Styria, where siblings Anna and Markus Sattler spoil their guests at the Sattlerhof. Markus has cooked up three toques in a very short time, while Anna manages the service area and shines with her expertise in the wine sector. Laudator Klaus Domittner, Regional Manager of Steiermärkische Sparkasse, praised the siblings for their responsible entrepreneurship, their commitment to the region and the use of regional products.
The celebrated award-winning chef Richard Rauch was proud to welcome Markus Sattler as the youngest member of the ‘Jeunes Restaurateurs’, a European association of young restaurant owners and chefs in upscale gastronomy.
The Tourism Panther for lifetime achievement went to the Styrian capital. Peter Florian, founder and long-standing owner of the Parkhotel Graz and former curator (over 30 years) of the Bad Gleichenberg tourism schools, received the award from Governor Christopher Drexler. Florian put his heart and soul into Styrian tourism and tourism education in particular for decades.
