Key Aspects Of Carinthian Tourism Stated As "Tourism As A Team Sport, Quality As A Driver"
At a joint press conference Tourism Provincial Councilor Sebastian Schuschnig, Josef Petritsch, head of the WKK division for the hotel and leisure industry and the new head of Carinthia Advertising, Klaus Ehrenbrandtner, gave an outlook on the topics and priorities that will be in focus for the next five years stand. Positive prospects are already emerging for this summer and winter is enjoying a good booking situation. Fantastic pistes and lots of snow make us optimistic for good capacity utilization in the coming weeks.
Provincial Councilor Sebastian Schuschnig: "We have mastered the many challenges of recent years very well thanks to our close cooperation and will also use this cooperation for future tasks. Above all, Carinthia needs to be established as a forward-looking tourism region that exploits its future opportunities and remains competitive. That is why we have invested more in key success factors, such as a new infrastructure that is independent of the weather, strengthening the extension of the season, a high quality of offers and a lean tourism structure. Measures against the shortage of employees and the wave of inflation are also very central, where we are launching numerous initiatives on the part of the state, such as Get a job or Best places to work. Carinthia has great potential in terms of guest trends towards more regionality,
Josef Petritsch, head of the hotel and leisure industry section at the Carinthian Chamber of Commerce: “After challenging years, Carinthia’s tourism industry is in stronger shape. Through innovations and product range extensions, our companies are able to successfully position themselves internationally. The increased need for employees is still an important issue, which requires close cooperation and joint efforts. Several projects are planned here, including schools, the Carinthian Chamber of Labour, the AMS and training companies. It is up to us to train young people, to give them prospects and attractive framework conditions.”
Holiday decisions in summer mood - focus on quality
The desire to travel is great, vacation remains a basic need. Despite the challenging framework conditions, vacation travel is one of the consumer priorities, as confirmed by surveys in the most important markets of origin. With regard to inflation, even more value is placed on a good price-performance ratio. Holiday decisions are made more consciously. For 66% of Austrian travelers, quality is more important than a cheap price, according to a recent YouGov survey (commissioned by TUI).
Core issues with a change of perspective, further strengthening year-round
The years of the pandemic and uncertainties have put a constant strain on people. The longing for “relaxation” has developed most strongly on the German market and is at the forefront of holiday motives. Klaus Ehrenbrandtner: “The major headings for the core topics such as experiencing nature on the mountain and on the water, family holidays, hiking, cycling, skiing, culinary delights and culture will remain the same in the future. It is important to carefully analyze the demand developments on these topics. We need to adjust the nature of the offerings and the stories we tell about them accordingly. For example, we will take a closer look at the further development of relaxation as a holiday motive and the changed expectations of guests in this direction. We would like to start communication in this direction in the autumn. The quality of the cycling and hiking trails, the closing of gaps and the corresponding staging play an important role in experiencing nature. The importance of a year-round lake experience should also be mentioned here.”
Internationalization with a focus on European markets
The developments in travel flows before the pandemic and a now foreseeable return to more international travel offer opportunities for internationalization - with a clear focus on European markets. “The Central and Eastern European markets have developed well, the Czech Republic is now the fourth strongest source market for Carinthia. The Koralm route gives you additional potential. We definitely see potential for Slovakia to include it in active market development. We have set ourselves the goal of regaining shares in the German market,” Ehrenbrandtner stated.
Further develop the Alps-Adriatic adventure area
With the Alpe-Adria-Trail, the Alpe-Adria-Radweg and the Alpe-Adria Golfcard, milestones for cross-border experiences have already been created. Ehrenbrandtner: "I would like to initiate the next intensive phase of the further development of a common tourist experience area with all partners in Carinthia and our neighboring countries. The aim here is to supplement tours, to further develop a common space of experience and to make it internationally visible."
sustainability and mobility
According to surveys and studies in the most important source markets for Carinthia, the topic of sustainability is becoming increasingly important. A topic to which Carinthia Advertising will also devote more attention.
digitalization
Ehrenbrandtner on this: “The focus here is on an efficient and target group-specific use of funds through data-driven marketing in order to achieve an even higher degree of individual guest addressing. Furthermore, we would like to work in close coordination with the regions to ensure that digital offers are conceived as far as possible in Carinthia and with a view to the Alps-Adriatic region and beyond.”
“Tourism is a team sport, we want to further strengthen the culture of cooperation. Here, too, the basic attitude and drive of Kärnten Werbung is the focus on quality,” concludes the Kärnten Werbung managing director.
