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It is one of the world's most popular ski destinations.

But resorts in the Austrian Alps are currently struggling with an almost total lack of snow.

Snow-making machines have been placed on the slopes of Gschwandtkopf mountain in the western Austrian village of Seefeld in a bid to try and attract holidaymakers.

Rosskopf mountain in the Tirol district of Austria is currently struggling with an almost total lack of snow

Similar problems have affected other Austrian resorts, including Flachau in Salzburg and Rosskopf mountain in Tirol, at a time when the snow is usually plentiful.

Tourism bosses have blamed the lack of snow on unusually warm winter weather.

The ski season in Austrian runs from the beginning of December to the end of March. 

But Ski Club Great Britain, which publishes online snow forecasts for ski resorts around the world, reported today that there was barely any snow at many resorts.

However, despite the absence of snowfall in recent days, up to four inches is expected to fall over the next week.

Temperatures in the Alps were recently revealed to be rising faster than anywhere else in the world, with Alpine resorts attempting to adapt to climate change.

A bearer of a T-bar lift is displayed on a snowless slope on Gschwandtkopf mountain in Seefeld

Snow-making machines stand on a snowless slope on Gschwandtkopf mountain in western Austria

Snow cannon stand on the green meadow which is a usually popular skiing piste in Flachau, Salzburg

A recent Austrian climate report found the country's temperatures had risen twice as fast as the global average since 1880, with the number of sunshine hours in the Alps increasing by 20 per cent.

Alpine countries are already shifting their focus to adaptation solutions, acknowledging that climate change will not be stopped or turned around anytime soon.

Low-lying resorts have long invested in snow cannon to ensure white slopes during the ski season but some have radically changed their marketing strategies – like Switzerland's Stockhorn ski region, which dismantled its ski lifts to refocus on winter hiking and snowshoeing.

Although France remains the most popular ski destination for British skiers, 400,000 tourists from the UK chose Austria as their ski destination last year.

Chairlifts have been taken out of operation on the ski pistes at Flachau in Salzburg

Snow-making machines have been placed on the slopes of Gschwandtkopf mountain in western Austria

Tourism bosses in Seefeld, Austria have blamed the lack of snow on unusually warm winter weather

The news comes after it was revealed that family skiing holidays to Austria could soar in price by up to £140 after a new law was passed guaranteeing foreign workers minimum wage.

British tour companies have also threatened to cut back on the number of holidays offered in the European country following the ruling, which will see their operating costs rise.

About 500 UK staff - including chalet workers - in Austria will now have to be paid the minimum wage of £790 a month.

Ski resorts such as Seefeld in Tirol, Austria, are among the most popular in the world

Temperatures in the Alps were recently revealed to be rising faster than anywhere else in the world

Three years ago, Alpine regions experienced the warmest autumn in 147 years, resulting in little snow.

Following an extremely dry November with high temperatures, some ski resorts in the Swiss Alps have postponed their season opening weekends due to the lack of snow.

In Hochfilzen, Tirol, organisers of an international race went to the Grossglockner - Austria's highest mountain - to get snow they needed to prepare their slopes for their track in 2011.

It took about five days to truck between 9,200 and 10,500 cubic yards of snow from the Grossglockner, said organizer Thomas Abfalter.