Discovering the Austrian Advantage
Although many people associate Austria with The Sound of Music, Arnulf Gressel, vice consul and deputy trade commissioner, Austrian Consulate General – Commercial Section, says most Austrians actually haven’t seen the internationally recognized film.
In addition to providing other trivia facts like Austria is home to the headquarters for Redbull and Swarovski crystals, Gressel was on hand to host the trade who gathered in Toronto yesterday (Sept. 27) onboard the Yankee Lady IV to take part in the fourth annual Discover Austria event. Organized by the Consulate General of Austria – Commercial Section/Advantage Austria, the evening featured a dinner, special musical performances and presentations from tourism partners like Lufthansa Group, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Vienna and Salzburg tourism boards and the Vienna Mozart Orchestra.
After holding the event at Casa Loma in previous years, Austrian consul and trade commissioner Christian Lassnig told the crowd the reason they decided to take the event to the waters included paying homage to Austria’s seafaring tradition, providing guests with spectacular views of Toronto and forcing them to stay onboard.
“You are stuck with us,” he joked.
Lassnig says the purpose of the road show series, which included a stop in Montreal and heads to Vancouver tomorrow, is to connect with the Canadian travel trade and highlight the many possibilities that await clients when they visit Austria.
“There are 100,000 Canadians coming to Austria every year, about 60,000 of them visit Vienna,” Lassnig told PressToday. “They stay quite long, more than three days on average. There is room to grow and Canada is a market of people that have money, they love the European culture, music and the pristine landscapes we have to offer.”
In the first six months of 2016, Vienna alone saw a 3.4% increase in Canadian overnight stays. There has also been a notable increase in arrivals from river cruises, he adds.
2017 will be full of celebrations, including the 20th anniversary of Salzburg’s historic city centre becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the 150th anniversary of the Waltz dance.
“When you go to a hotel in Vienna and there’s a ball coming up, you can book a dance teacher to your room who will show you how to dance the Waltz so you can participate actively in the ball,” he says.
Pictured at the event are Daniel Pasquali, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which is now owned by Marriott International; Birgitta Samavarchian, Advantage Austria; Christian Lassnig, Austrian Consul and Trade Commissioner, Canada; Rita Gily, Vienna Tourism Board; Pablo Bolanos, Vienna Mozart Orchestra; Arnulf Gressel, Austrian Consulate General – Commercial Section; Manuela Kirchengast, Advantage Austria and Sherif Sedhom, Lufthansa Group.
