AUSTRIA is gaining in popularity among Indian travellers. The destination drew 85,000 Indian visitors in 2011, a 41 per cent increase over the year before, according to the Austrian National Tourism Office (ANTO).
Christine Mukharji, market manager – India, ANTO, expects “a growth of at least 20 per cent in Indian inbound in 2012”.
Salzburg and Vienna, the capital, are ‘must-dos’ for Indian tourists familiar with The Sound of Music film, while Innsbruck, the capital city of Tyrol state in the west, offers alpine surroundings, handmade cuckoo clocks and a Swarovski Krystal World factory outlet.
According to Veneeta Rawat, director, Amazing Vacations Mumbai, Indian travellers to Austria were staying longer. ANTO figures confirm this: the number of Indian overnights rose 46 per cent year-on-year to 165,000 in 2011.
“We are seeing 50 per cent increase in the number of clients requesting for longer stays in Austria, some as much as four nights,” said Rawat.
“This is a good trend as we used to see one-night stays each in Vienna and Salzburg, but now, it could be at least three or four nights covering other regions like Innsbruck.”
ANTO is promoting new regions such as Zell am See, located two hours from Munich Airport and with snow all year round; Melk, next to the Wachau valley along the Danube river; and the resort area of Salzkammergut.
