The GTI meeting was a fixed date in the annual calendar for the VW community, but also for many fans of the tuning and car scene. It was held for the first time in 1982, then every year. During the pandemic, the event was canceled, but now it has been abandoned completely. The reason for this is not a lack of interest, but the desire for more sustainability.
The municipality of Maria Wörth has issued a press release on the subject:
"The municipality of Maria Wörth was the venue for the GTI meeting for many years. The history of this major event is inextricably linked to the district of Reifnitz and has brought our municipality many encounters, a high profile and, last but not least, economic impetus.
At the same time, the enormous increase in the number of participants over the years has also shown more and more clearly the limits of possible growth and the resilience of our municipality and the entire Wörthersee region. Numerous side effects of the motoring event have led to increasing criticism and decreasing acceptance of the annual meeting. Restrictions in the pandemic years have meant that the GTI meeting has now been canceled three times. The effects of climate change, the responsibility of political decision-makers for the preservation of ecosystems and the need to align actions at all levels with the principles of sustainability make it necessary to place the shaping of the future under new premises.
On the basis of these considerations, we have decided that the municipality of Maria Wörth will no longer be hosting any major conventional automobile events in the coming years.
In recent years, the municipality of Maria Wörth has carried out intensive conceptual and planning work to shape the future of the district of Reifnitz and has initiated a comprehensive transformation process. Over the next few years, some of the areas previously used for major events will be given a new purpose and new facilities will be created as part of the implementation of the "Reifnitz 2030 | Sustainable living by the lake" local development program.
Mayor Markus Perdacher:
"In the spirit of localhood, we are working to create attractive and sustainable living spaces that benefit everyone who spends time in the municipality - regardless of whether they spend a few days there or a lifetime."
The mayor of Maria Wörth is open to future developments following the municipality's withdrawal from the GTI meeting:
"We will be happy to consider proposals and ideas for events in our municipality in the future, but will weigh up the extent to which they are in line with our ideas of social and ecological compatibility and meet high sustainability standards. With this in mind, we are and will remain in discussion with the mobility industry, which, just like us as a municipality, must take account of the profound change towards ecology and sustainability."
Well, maybe there will be an ID meeting in 10 or 20 years' time, which would be more socially and ecologically compatible with the municipality's sustainability goals. Whether it would be as cool as the legendary GTI meetings is another question.
