The Vienna Tourist Board cultivates 19 markets worldwide and organizes an average of one event every second day for the international media, the travel industry or the meeting industry. In terms of content, the focus is on the areas of air service development, the luxury guest target group and LGBT marketing.
Thematic Priorities
AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
Vienna's success as a business location and a tourism and convention destination depends to a large extent on its accessibility by air. About 46% of all visitors arrive in the city by plane, in the convention sector that number is even as high as 76% (source: T-Mona 2017/18). In 2013 the Vienna Tourist Board therefore entered into a strategic partnership with Vienna International Airport that was formalized in writing in 2016 with the “Air Service Development” cooperation agreement. Under this agreement, additional airlines were to be acquired for Vienna, direct flights promoted and existing capacities expanded.
The growth target specified in the Tourism Strategy 2020 of acquiring 20 new direct flights from cities in revenue growth markets had already been reached by the end of 2018, and three additional new routes have been identified for 2019. Within the scope of the Air Service Development and airline marketing, in 2018 the Vienna Tourist Board and Vienna International Airport conducted a total of 65 campaigns in cooperation with 23 airlines. Shortly before editorial deadline, at “Routes Europe”, the international networking meeting of the aviation industry, the Vienna Tourist Board received the “Routes Europe 2019 Marketing Award” in the category “Destination” for its consistent strategy in this sector.
LUXURY GUEST TARGET GROUP
The International Luxury Hotel Association (ILHA) forecasts an increase in the luxury travel market to 1,154 billion US dollars by 2022. The slice of luxury travel in the total “travel pie” amounted to around 7% in 2017, according to estimates published in the “ITB World Travel Trends Report” but accounts for around 20% of global travel expense. Statistically, luxury travelers spend six times as much and travel almost twice as often as the average traveler. With a share of 29%, city trips are the most popular type of luxury travel.
In the PREMIUM area, since 2017 the Vienna Tourist Board has focused increasingly on the luxury sector with a view to positioning Vienna as an exclusive destination for Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (UHNWI) and High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI) – individuals with invested assets of over 30 million euros or over one million US dollars.
The Vienna Tourist Board specifically addresses the gatekeepers: the people who work as personal assistants, private wealth managers, in the concierge service or as a luxury travel designers, as well as credit card companies or family offices with direct access to affluent travelers. These gatekeepers and international decision-makers can be reached through networks and personal connections. In 2018, the Vienna Tourist Board was able to initiate an exclusive partnership with the Forum Club London, a classic London business networking club, and present Vienna at various events. Participation in global trade shows, organizing events for luxury providers and a “luxury guest” workshop for sales directors of upscale Viennese hotels round out the agency’s activities in this sector. For 2020, the Vienna Tourist Board was able to bring the top-class “Conde Nast International Luxury Conference” to Vienna.
LGBT MARKETING
According to a representative survey carried out by the Vienna Tourist Board, gay and lesbian travelers appreciate the rich history of the city, the impressive architecture and the enormous range of art and culture. They extremely are well educated, earn about 20% more than the average visitor and also travel more frequently. According to the “Global LGBT 2030 Research Study” carried out by Out Now Consulting, LGBT travelers spent a total of 218 billion US dollars globally in 2018. At World Pride 2017 in Madrid, total expenditures by visitors amounted to 115 million euros – a potential that Vienna too knows how to harness, especially in the run-up to EuroPride 2019.
The Vienna Tourist Board has been specifically focusing on the LGBT community for 20 years. During this time, the city has grown from “hidden hero” to award-winning “hotspot”: In 2017, the city was chosen by the world tourism organization UNWTO as a best practice travel destination and “iconic destination for LGBT travelers“. In January 2018, Vienna was named “Best International Destination 2017” by GayTravel.com, one of the world’s largest LGBT travel platforms. Most recently, in March 2018 Vienna won the Australian LGBTI award in the category “Destination of the Year” despite tough competition from e.g. New York, Canada, Thailand, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
In 2018 the Vienna Tourist Board addressed LGBT target groups at travel trade fairs such as ITB in Berlin and “PROUD Experiences” in London, Europe's first B2B travel fair focusing on the LGBT population, presented the destination at relevant events such as the Prides in Rome and Tokyo, invited media representatives and the travel industry to Vienna Pride, and carried out content marketing in selected source markets. Full information about Vienna as a destination can be found at LGBT.wien.info.
