According to Statistics Austria, almost a fifth (18 percent) of Austrian guests who travel to Upper Austria are on business. 40 percent of them attend congresses, meetings and conferences. Business travelers are important for the tourism industry: they are responsible for 14 percent of all expenditure by domestic guests, amounting to 230 million euros.
- Read here: Tourism: Upper Austria wants to move away from “thinking in seasons”
In order to strengthen the competitiveness of the event industry, the state has introduced a new subsidy, which Tourism Minister Markus Achleitner (VP) presented on Monday. It is paid out for fee-based event locations in Upper Austria; there must be at least 60 registered participants and 80 verified overnight stays in the state. For 80 guests or more, 1,200 euros will be subsidized, and for more than 599 guests, 6,000 euros.
Additional bonus for sustainability
According to Designcenter managing director and industry representative Thomas Ziegler, the sustainability bonus is unique in Austria: If the event is certified as a “Green Event” according to the Austrian Ecolabel, a 25 percent bonus is added to the funding. The maximum possible amount is therefore 7,500 euros.
“With the preferred event dates in spring and autumn, congresses increase capacity utilization in the off-season,” said Achleitner. In Austria, Vienna and Salzburg in particular are strong competitors.
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Image: State of Upper Austria/Daniel Kauder
Source: Nachrichten
