'Elegance Revived: A fledgling residential tourism market is taking hold in the Austrian ski resort of Bad Gastein. Laura Henderson reports

Boasting over 200km of downhill skiing up to an altitude of 2600m across four main ski areas, the Gastein region forms part of the vast Ski Amade circuit, offering 860km of skiing on one pass. A combination of 48 lifts - an array of gondolas, cable cars, a funicular and high-speed chair lifts - means there's plenty of terrain to explore over a couple of weeks' skiing.

Fewer than 20,000 people live in the valley, yet more than two million visitors come for the holidays. The British account for just three per cent of the total, but the number is growing thanks to tour operators expanding their portfolio and a solid network of no-frills flights from UK regional airports.

The resort also enjoys a long season from December to May and a good snow record thanks to tis high altitude.'