02:49

Ruth Deutschmann

Benjamin Epp

Galtür

2008-08-22

Sylvia Manning-Baumgartner

Nicole D´Incecco

1955

Tourism - yes, that does change a lot. You have to be very - how should I say? - often very resolute. Things happen in life - families get mixed up a bit. Workers come, stay and marry here. Others leave. It's usually some of the best who just have to get out of the valley. My generation was like this: We were seven children and my father had just enough money to send the oldest child to secondary school, grammar school. The others had to manage for themselves. That's different today. Everyone can have any education. But we lose those who study when they take a job. We don't need more than one doctor or one priest or one teacher and maybe three policemen. We don't need more than that number of educated people in our village. So we have to help ourselves. And yes – society is subject to change. As a local you have to be very careful and also very tolerant. Not everything from outside the valley is bad. You shouldn't say that. You have to keep up with the times and be especially patient with technical developments. But, all in all, we are very content to be able to live in the most beautiful place in the world - at least we think it is. We can't influence some of the developments due to tourism but the majority, we can. An old, wise saying of my father's: "The guest is as good as the host." If we are good hosts and present ourselves well - with our surroundings, the wonderful nature, our mountains, our snow and our hospitality, there will always be demand. I really don't worry at all; in spite of overseas tourism and so on.