After spending several years with the Austrian Tourist Office in its Frankfurt, Los Angeles and New York offices, Michael Gigl became director-North America in late 2003. During his tenure, the office has creatively promoted an Austria that lays beyond the classical appeal that focused heavily on sophisticated lovers of classical music on the one hand and those enchanted by the "Sound of Music" on the other. Gigl has continued to market new themes that stress wine travel, contemporary art, architecture and design. He also has moved to make his office a player in the overall marketing of Europe with his vital participation in the European Tourism Commission and his chairmanship of the Alpine Tourism Commission in the United States.
What impact has the economic downturn had on Austrian tourism? The U.S. is one of our biggest source markets. It's certainly our most important overseas market. In a typical year Austria attracts about a half million Americans, about 50 percent of whom go to Vienna. We were down in 2009, but towards the end of the year it flattened out. We ended up better than most European countries. Vienna was only down 1 or 2 percent, and those figures don't include river cruise visitors. The economy impacted how Americans traveled in Austria. We've seen a shift from Salzburg and Innsbruck to Vienna. The market now favors city destinations and shorter trips. Smaller cities are more dependent on longer staying travelers.
What's the secret to selling Vienna? Vienna has communicated its modern spirit effectively, but it also combines an imperial past with classical music. The political changes in Europe have also repositioned Vienna, placing it in the center of Europe geographically again. The U.S. is one of Vienna's three top markets. There were also more than 100 river cruise ships plying the Danube in 2009, bringing 380,000 passengers into Vienna. About 40 percent of all Danube River cruisers are American. They're the Danube's largest market.
What about the rest of Austria? How can the tourism wealth be spread? Austria is a small country, the size of Maine, but it has enormous diversity in Vienna and beyond. Salzburg, the Lake District, the wine regions, the Alps and other areas are so diverse that it can be difficult to confine them into a coherent branding message. While I enjoy working with our European partners, it can be a challenge to separate ourselves from our neighbors. We need to define a uniquely Austrian travel experience in the marketplace. We have to stress what is distinctly Austrian: culture, classical music, art, museums, architecture (both old and new), wine and culinary. What pulls it all together for Austria is authenticity. It is authenticity that connects our art, for instance, because our arts have always been innovative. The old and the traditional, the modern and the vital are authentically Austrian.
Do American travelers have an accurate perception of Austria? The idea people have about Austria is positive but limited. Our research shows that we consistently out perform the expectations of our visitors. That means that their expectations are too low and what they experience is exceptional. The media is finally starting to pick up on our distinctions. The New York Times recently ran its 31 places to go in 2010 and they included Kitzbühel, focusing not only on its skiing but on its restaurants, both independent ones and those in hotels. That kind of coverage helps us to distinguish our Alps from the Alps in neighboring countries, and it encourages people to take a second look.
How important are travel agents in helping you get your message out? Travel agents are here to stay. The best sellers of travel will always be people and American agents are highly professional. It's no longer possible to use the one size fits all model with agents. We work with such major consortia as Signature, American Express and Virtuoso, and we also run the Austria Expert Program. This November we'll be taking a select group of about 60 agent specialists to the Austrian Destination Summit, a week-long exploration of Vienna, Salzburg, Graz and Innsbruck.
How should travel agents sell Austria? Austria is for the client who is seeking a deeper immersion into European culture. It's a 1,000 year old country that played a major role in shaping European history. Visitors should be encouraged to take their time. No one should do Salzburg in three hours and the scale of Austria makes it so you don't have to. Austria is a small country and easy to explore. That smallness is a challenge on the one hand and yet it means visitors aren't always in transit on long coach rides or flying here and there. That kind of convenience allows for a relaxed exploration wherever you are in the country. As every traveler knows, the deeper you dig, the more rewarding the experience. Agents should encourage clients to be a little daring and look for places they maybe haven't heard of.
Many governments are questioning the need for tourist offices at a time when budget cutting is on the rise. What role are tourist offices playing to justify the expense? Tourist offices have traditionally been government funded institutions that in the past were more focused on distributing tourist information. With the advent of the Internet that role is less important. Today, tourist offices are more focused on marketing and the shaping of the brand. Over the last few years they have been suffering budget restrictions. Today the Austrian Tourist Office is largely government funded, but much comes from private industry. Of our 52 million euro worldwide budget, 19 million euros comes from private industry. Going forward, it's important to note that only a tourist office can independently create national brand identities, because private interests tend to be narrower than the interests of an entire country. Also, it's the national government tourist office that is in the best position to see the long term interests of the country.
For more information on Austria, visit www.austria.info.
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