2023-05-05 11:39:49
Positive balance for the tourism event of the year: 8-hour program for 800 registered guests at ÖTT; 240 exhibitors and 350 top buyers at the ATB.
Vienna (OTS) – From May 2nd to 4th, 2023, the Austrian tourism industry presented itself in full strength and in all its diversity at the Austria Center Vienna (ACV) in Vienna. 240 Austrian exhibitors, 350 top international buyers and over 4,300 networking events at the Austrian Travel Business (ATB), 10 lectures, 30 speakers and 800 registered guests at the Austrian Tourism Day (ÖTT). These are the numbers behind the most important tourism events in the country, which have been held completely physically for the first time since the Corona pandemic. The balance is very positive.
Kraus-Winkler: ÖTT and ATB made an important contribution to the further development of “Green Tourism”
“The tourism highlights of the year ÖTT and ATB have given the comeback of domestic tourism a great stage: With the motto ‘Sustainability as a permanent guest’, one has focused on an important future topic, because sustainability plays both for the industry itself and for the booking decisions of the guests an increasingly important role. Our goal is to make Austria one of the most sustainable tourism destinations in the world. To do this, we must constantly develop ‘green tourism’ at all levels and also make intensive use of the potential of digitization. Both the ÖTT and the ATB make an important contribution to this,” says Secretary of State for Tourism Kraus-Winkler.
Mahrer: Our top position in the area of sustainability needs to be further expanded
“Sustainability in tourism has not only been a focus for more and more guests, but also for our companies for a long time. We are already exemplary here: according to the ‘Sustainable Travel Index’, Austria is in the top field in tourism sustainability. But the competition never sleeps. We have to keep at it and develop continuously and innovatively in order not only to maintain our top position, but to expand it even further,” says Harald Mahrer, President of the Chamber of Commerce.
Steharnig-Staudinger: Started as ÖW managing director with the entire industry
“Being able to start with the highlight events in our industry on my first day at work is a great start in my new role. Being able to welcome the whole industry together here in Vienna, to exchange ideas and to talk regarding the positive prospects of our great tourism country makes me really optimistic regarding the tasks of the coming years. Holidays in Austria are trendy, our forecasts for the summer are excellent. This is also shown by the fact that with 4,300 networking appointments at the ATB, last year’s record was surpassed by 300,” says ÖW Managing Director Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger.
“The ÖW team has set itself the goal of offering our international buyers a supporting program that they will remember, in addition to the classic sales and networking opportunities at the trade fair. We were enthusiastic regarding our opening evening in the Kursalon Hübner, the hospitality suites in the Palmenhaus and in the Möbelmuseum. This also shows that there is nothing more important in tourism than personal presence, personal exchange and shared experiences,” says Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger, summing up the Austrian Tourism Day and the Austrian Travel Business.
The Austrian Tourism Day under the motto “Sustainability as a permanent guest” is another important building block in the process of Austria’s further development into one of the most sustainable tourism locations in the world. “Sustainability will occupy our industry even more in the years to come. The Austrian Tourist Board will act as a professional platform, networker and knowledge carrier. We will work together with all our partners to ensure that we can achieve the goal set for the entire tourism location,” Steharnig-Staudinger continued.
“We were not only able to recognize the importance of sustainability for our industry from the great interest in the presentations at the ÖTT. The panel discussions and the keynotes dealing with the topic also showed the need for the Austrian tourism industry to pool our strengths even more. In this context, I am particularly pleased to announce that Österreich Werbung has been a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council since May. As a member of this global body for sustainability standards, it is our goal to learn from the other member organizations, but at the same time to bring our internal expertise and the numerous Austrian best practices to the fore. As a result, we will position Austria even more internationally as a top destination in the field of sustainability,” says Steharnig-Staudinger in conclusion.
Young Talents and Best Practice Awards presented for the first time
Together with the Austrian Society for Applied Research in the Tourism and Leisure Industry (ÖGAF), the Austrian National Tourist Office has launched the Young Talents Award for the first time. Applicants were able to submit their concepts and ideas on the subject of “natural shelters”. The winning teams “Team Destination Green” from FH JOANNEUM, “Team FRANE” from the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences and the “Team with Meaning” from IMC Krems impressed the jury, consisting of ÖGAF President and federal division chairman Robert Seeber , ÖW-CDIO Oliver Csendes, AustrianStartups Managing Director Hannah Wundsam and Hohe Tauern National Park Director Barbara Pucker.
In addition, the Best Practice Award was presented for the first time at this year’s ÖTT together with the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. Tourist businesses, companies or organizations that have already integrated sustainable concepts and ideas into the company were honored. WKÖ Vice President Martha Schultz presented Wagrain-Kleinarl Tourism with the Best Practice Award for their certification process by “Green Destinations”, the Hotel Hochschober for their projects to increase energy efficiency and employer branding and harry’s home for their entire sustainability concept.
Further highlights on the ÖTT
In addition to the content of the programme, there were other highlights for the industry as part of the ÖTT and ATB. For example, an XR trade fair stand might be visited at the Innovation Corner of Österreich Werbung. The ÖTT participants were able to embark on a multi-sensory extended reality journey through Austria. Three destinations were selected for this: the wintry summit of the Wildkogel (2,224 m, Kitzbüheler Alpen Salzburg), a summery view of the Irrsee in the Salzkammergut (Upper Austria) and the spectacular 5fingers viewing platform on the Krippenstein (Dachstein Mountains, Upper Austria).
On the sidelines of the Austrian Tourism Day, a memorandum of understanding for a tourism data space was also signed. The Austrian Tourist Board, the Data Intelligence Offensive (DIO), the Tyrolean location agency, the Tyrol Tourist Board and the MODUL University of Vienna explain that they are striving to establish, develop and maximize the effectiveness of a data room for tourism in Austria and for European connections.
All lectures and panel discussions to look up
A total of 10 keynotes and panels with 30 national and international speakers were on the program for the Austrian Tourism Day. The experts primarily dealt with the megatrend of sustainability. For those who were unable to be there live, all lectures and panels can still be accessed on demand at www.tourismustage.at.
ÖTT in numbers
- 10 lectures with 30 speakers
- almost 8 hours program
- over 800 registered participants
- over 150 tours at the exhibition stand of the future from the ÖW and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)
ATB in numbers
- over 12,000 square meters of event space
- 350 top international buyers from around 40 countries
- 240 Austrian exhibitors
- over 4,300 networking appointments between buyers and exhibitors on site
- 56 international buyers on the 5 Post tours to the federal states
- 300 trees planted for each participant who traveled by plane
Picture gallery for ÖTT/ATB: https://www.austriatourism.com/blog/fotogalerie-oett-und-atb-2023/
Review video: That was the #oett23 and the #atb23! – YouTube
Questions & contact:
Maj. Patricia Strampfer
Head of Corporate Communication
company spokeswoman
Tel.: +43 1 58866-428
patricia.strampfer@austria.info
1683287010
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