Organisation
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Austria Benchmarking The restructuring of the Austrian Tourist Office The restructuring of the Austrian Tourist Office The ANTO is now a GmbH (equivalent of a limited company). However it remains funded in the main by the Federal Government with a minority stake held by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. Primary tasks of the ANTO:
Shareholders of the ANTO:
Core divisions are focussed around:
Support divisions include:
Core principles: The ANTO positions itself as a pace-making and innovative player within the network of Austria’s tourist and leisure industry. Workload and staffing is positioned around the following core principles:
[top] The Austrian National Tourist Office’s mission and vision
The vision of the ANTO is to: Set the course for the success of tomorrow. The ANTO’s aim is to bring Austria closer to customers, literally ‘to be part of Austria’. Thus its tourist offices and tourism offer will embody this Austrian context. [top] Key source markets
At the core of activities is marketing with an interesting emphasis on building strategic alliances with Austrian companies trading overseas which symbolise the country abroad. At the heart of the marketing is the building of brand Austria in key overseas markets. A further advance has been the development of the ANTO’s Tourism Marketing Agency Services. The aim here is to sell market research services to tourism partners and the tourism industry. [top] How important is transport infrastructure? Travel by road Amongst international visitors, 70% came by car, 9% by train/bus, 7% by air and 5% by motor home. This emphasises the significance of this landlocked country and its key tourism generating neighbours. Travel by air Vienna remains the primary hub for Central and Eastern Europe as well as Asia. Low-cost carriers have seen development both in Vienna and at the other major airports. Public transport [top] The Vienna Tourist Board
The main expenditure is marketing, communications and advertising. Other interesting areas of city tourist board expenditure is the payment for pedestrian sign posting and bus wardens to guide visitors. Key areas of investment in 2001 included the development of Wien Hotels and Info - a call centre, information, booking service and website. Around 9,000 calls were received in the first month of operation. [top] How important is Vienna and the urban product in Austria? In the latter part of 2001, the Vienna Tourist Board faced with the impact of 9/11 focussed promotion budgets on nearby markets without reduction in more distant market campaigns. As a result only a minor reduction in tourism was experienced. ‘Destination Vienna’ remains a very strong brand with a very strong business and leisure mix of visitors. Vienna has benefited from the development of: The new Museums Quarter (which includes the largest Arts complex in Europe)
This has significantly helped appeal in the business market but leisure visitors to the museum element have been disappointing. The meetings and incentive market accounts for 8.9% of Vienna’s total stays and the capital remains a very popular conference destination with strong infrastructure and a reputation for quality and detail. In the attractions sector, the Vienna multi-operation access card has had a significant impact. It is now an established feature of tourism to the capital. Its core 72-hour rover ticket gives access and benefits at 160 museums, attractions, theatres, and restaurants, shops and coffee houses with transport links. The city break has been seen by the ANTO as a crucial marketing tool and this sector has shown good growth following improved budget air access, continued promotion of secondary city destinations (Graz, Salzburg etc) and infrastructure development. Salzburg as the second city promotes the Mozart festival and the classical music appeal but its visitation remains overshadowed by Vienna. Similarly Graz is using its cultural designation to build appeal, although indications to date are mixed. A marketing network, ‘historical small cities of Austria’, attempts to promote other heritage city destinations (eg Hallein, Kufstein, Steyer and Rust) but has had limited success. [top] Further Information: VisitScotland’s Marketing Strategy [top] |