Destination report
Vienna reviving
CHRISTIAN WORONKA, MARKETING DIRECTOR VIENNA CONVENTION BUREAU, EXPLAINS
HOW THE CITY HAS BEEN READYING FOR REOPENING
uring good times, Vienna‘s
MICE industry generates
an added value of around
€1bn for Austria and about
10% of all overnight stays.
Cancellation of meetings and events has
meant the city is currently losing a
monthly added value of about €80m, and
about €22m in tax revenues. There are
120,000 fewer overnight stays per month.
Over 80% of visitors to Vienna are
international and, according to the
Austrian Hotelier Association, the current
average hotel occupancy across Austria is
down 50% compared to last year’s level –
in city hotels it is 73% lower.
Long-distance markets such as the US
and China account for a large proportion
of our visitors, although most guests
visiting the city these days come from
the surrounding markets, especially
Germany.
The Vienna Convention Bureau (VCB)
has been supporting meeting planners in
postponing their conferences and
meetings that could not take place due to
the restrictions and helping them to find
new dates and reserve hotel allotments.
Our website also offers updated
information on Covid-19 and regulations.
Vienna will continue to be one of the
most beautiful and livable cities in the
world, representing cosmopolitanism,
diversity and international encounters.
More important: Vienna will continue to
stand for sustainable, meaningful
tourism in the future. The two Cs -
congresses and culture - will continue to
be among the city’s key success factors.
EU-based travel platform ‘European
Best Destinations’ classifies Vienna as one
of the safest travel destinations in Europe.
Numerous initiatives in the city show
that solidarity in Vienna is not just an
empty slogan; companies like Steirereck
or Hotel InterContinental cooked for
people in need, and the Messe Wien was
converted at short notice into a care centre
for Covid-19 patients. It is my concern
that the industry continues to stick
together and acts with a sense of
proportion in these challenging times. It
is important to look into the future with
creativity and inspiration to develop new
concepts and solutions.
Vienna is preparing for an ‘On/Off
economy’ in which restrictions may be
lifted at one point and then reinstated at
another.
In August the capacity regulations for
events in seated venues was a maximum of
500 people for indoor events and 750 open
air. As of September, this increased to
5,000 people indoors and 10,000 outdoors.
More people are allowed if the organiser
solicits approval from the authorities and
produces a Covid-19 prevention concept.
These regulations are closely monitored.
Safe Stay
The Austrian Professional Hotel
Association and Vienna Tourist Board
have joined forces to support
accommodation partners with Safe Stay, a
new accreditation seal developed
specifically for Vienna.
The city’s tourism sector is also
Over 80%
of visitors to
Vienna are
international
Above: Christian
Woronka
participating in the WTTC’s Safe Travels
initiative – the first global safety and
hygiene stamp for the tourism sector.
In terms of financial support, we
undertook, together with the City of
Vienna and the Vienna Chamber of
Commerce, to support organisers unable
to hold their congresses due to the
Covid-19 pandemic. We agreed to
convert financial assistance already
committed into structural support under
the following conditions:
• The structural funding amounts to
70% of the original financial assistance
• The event cancelled due to the
coronavirus or an event of similar scope
must be held in Vienna before the end of
2025.
The Hofburg VIENNA hosted a live
conference on migration issues in July,
attended by ministers of the interior from
18 European countries, with delegates
from Bulgaria and Romania joining by
video stream.
Now, the VCB’s main message to
clients is: We are here for you, when you
are ready. A new communication plan,
‘time after’ is being worked up on the
principles of Vienna’s Visitor Economy
Strategy 2025.
After the crisis it will be more
important than before to focus on
meetings as a driver for location
development and to highlight Vienna’s
role as a business and research hub.
The city’s largest meeting hotel, the
Hilton Vienna Park, just reopened its
doors with 660 rooms following an
expansion project and the MQ Libelle
event space has been built on the roof of
the Leopold Museum.
The Austria Center Vienna’s new
danubeSAIL canopy for the square outside
the centre adds 4,200sqm for events and
the new Eventhalle to be be built in 2021
will be able to host 20,000 visitors.
ISSUE 108 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 35