esort. Airolo was the first ski resort in Ticino and with the construction of the Pesci�m facility, remained the most important one in the canton. At the end of the 20th Century, Airolo is also a popular destination for hiking, with trails that include the Strada Alta and the Sentiero degli Alpi.
Although the population is falling, Airolo is a small commercial center. Service companies for rail and road transport (including the motorway service area at Stalvedro), military and tourism dominate the economy. In 1985 the service sector and construction industry offered two-thirds of jobs. The agricultural sector is modest. In the early 1990s, there were 775 households and 19 full-time and 13 part-time farmers, who were in some way involved with agriculture. The industrial sector is, despite the closure of a main construction company, the major employer. The only major factory in Airolo is the metal processing factory of Tenconi (which was established in 1871), which employs about 100 people
