Perfect weather as Austria’s biggest tourism fair gets real

After two years of virtual meetings, ATB 2022, the largest Austrian tourism trade fair, is under way in Vienna – in reality rather than just online – bringing together more than 350 hosted buyers from 41 different countries, including Australia, plus 265 Austrian exhibitors.
It’s another sign that tourism is shrugging off the Covid blues to take advantage of  substantial pent-up demand for travel. Over the next few days, those 265 Austrian exhibitors will explore and share the wide variety of products and experiences Austria has to offer.
Director of the Austrian National Tourism Office (ANTO) in Australia, Astrid Gruchmann-Licht, is in Vienna with Australian buyers. She hosted a small group last night at Lugeck in the city’s 1st district, a dining establishment that epitomises classic Viennese tavern culture, in one of downtown Vienna’s most picturesque historic buildings. Lugeck serves up Austrian dishes alongside its own interpretation of famous classics, accompanied by a variety of beverages and its house beer the Lugeck Spezial brew.
Setting the stage for ATB Austrian Tourism Days, ANTO’s Vienna-based chief executive, Lisa Weddig told delegates: “I’m convinced that you will enjoy the networking opportunities and that your meetings will be the inspiration for many new and exciting travel programs.”

The weather for ATB promises to be perfect, with daytime temperatures in the high 20s.
Peter Needham, in Vienna to report on the event for Global Travel Media, took photos of Viennese making the most of the weekend’s bright sunshine. People sunbathed in bikinis or shorts on the little river beach facing Donauinsel, an island in the Danube. They also caught the sun in the stately formal gardens outside the Belvedere Palace.

In the city centre, visitors stroll and chat, while smart horses and open carriages trot along past St Stephen’s Cathedral, full of jolly tourists. The atmosphere, with open-air cafés and people taking it easy, is reminiscent of pre-Covid days, though masks are still mandatory on public transport (as in Australian states including NSW).

Like Australia, one of the challenges Austrian tourism faces is luring back those who have left the industry during the pandemic. This topic will no doubt surface during the coming conference.
Written by Peter Needham