Wedged in the heart of Europe, Austria has long been an Aussie favourite, but travel to the destination has surpassed expectations, doubling down on back-to-back record yearly growth.
Cementing its place as the ‘capital’ of schnitzel, Austrian tourism representatives visiting Australia have been on hand to update travel agents and industry partners during a series of events in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne this week.
Key messaging included Austria’s abundant and easily accessible ski fields, it’s world-famous Christmas markets, range of art and historical museums and a vivid city life, which continually ranks as the most liveable city.
New for 2020 includes a series of events celebrating 250 years of Beethovan in 2020 in Vienna, along with the opening of the Sigmund Freud Museum in the city next year.
Nature-goers are urged to take advantage of Innsbruck’s newly launched ski-pass, which has been cited as unique in its offering of access to 13 ski areas, in combination with 22 sightseeing experiences and three spa trips.
Meanwhile the Arlberg ski region has been the biggest success story for Austria’s winter tourism, assisting in bolstering figures to hit 60,000 overnights from Australia in January 2019.
“Australia is a great market for us. It’s small, but beautiful,” Astrid-Gruchmann-Licht, Austrian Tourism’s regional director, told Travel Weekly.
“The destinations most visited include Vienna, the Tryol region, Salzburg and Arlberg, and most of our increasing visitation have come through during the winter months, with 45 per cent of Australian travellers coming for the winter experiences.”
