TORONTO — Vienna, once again honoured as the world’s most liveable city, is also one of the most beautiful and welcoming cities for travellers.
And last night it was Elke Bachner, International B2B Relations for Canada, U.S. & Great Britain for the Vienna Tourist Board, who was welcoming travel advisors, tour operators and trade media at W Toronto for an industry dinner spotlighting the Austrian capital. Joining Bachner was AMPM Canada President Armando Mendonca, who represents the Vienna Tourist Board in Canada.
As Bachner noted, Vienna is at the top of The Economist’s list of the world’s most liveable cities – again. Vienna has taken the top spot in eight of the last 10 surveys. And no wonder. A green city – more than half of Vienna is considered green space – Vienna mixes nature and urban charm in a way that many other big cities can only dream of. The city’s ‘Heartbeat Streets’ initiative focuses on the many neighbourhoods (Grätzel) that make Vienna unique. More details can be found here.
As the seat of the once-powerful Habsburg monarchy, Vienna wears its historic significance proudly, and visitors flock to Schönbrunn Palace and Hofburg Palace as well as Belvedere Palace and the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Vienna has long been a culture capital, particularly for music; Mozart was born in nearby Salzburg and he lived in Vienna for many years. Of course, Beethoven and Strauss are forever linked to Vienna too.
Bachner wants agents to know that any time they need help selling Vienna, she’s ready to assist. “I love my city. Whenever you need help, let me know. There are never problems, there are only solutions. I will get you in touch with the right hotels, the right partners,” she said. One of Bachner’s top picks for accommodation: Vienna City Apartments (VCA).
For trade support online, Bachner directs agents to Vienna.info. At the top right of the home page, agents can select ‘B2B Services’ and then ‘Vienna Tourist Board B2B’ for trade-friendly tips and resources. There’s also a link for Vienna Experts Club, offering free membership for agents plus special hotel rates, invitations to Vienna evenings and more. “It’s easy and it’s free of charge. You need to be an expert and then you can explore the city,” says Bachner.
Agents and their clients can get around with a Vienna City Card, for full city transportation access, plus deals at 200+ partners. Agents can become an official Vienna City Card reseller and earn 5% commission for every card sold. From Vienna Airport, the CAT (City Airport Train) brings visitors to downtown Vienna in just 16 minutes. From the drop-off spot, it’s a 15-minute walk to St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
Also helpful: the Vienna Tourist Board’s IVIE app, a digital city guide.
Presentations and dinner with the Vienna Tourist Board at W Toronto
FLIGHTS WITH AIR CANADA AND AUSTRIAN AIRLINES
Last night’s presentation featured several of the Vienna Tourist Board’s partners, including Air Canada, Vienna Airport, Toronto Pearson / GTAA, Swarovski, Hotel Imperial and Lufthansa Group.
Air Canada and Lufthansa remain the only nonstop and year round options to Vienna. From Toronto, YYZ – VIE flights were daily in summer 2023 and there are plans for more of the same in summer 2024 with Air Canada. From Montreal, flights operated YUL-VIE five times weekly in summer 2023, with the same planned again for summer 2024, with Austrian Airlines.
At LufthansaExperts.com, agents can find all sales-related information on all the Lufthansa Group airlines: Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Eurowings Discover, Lufthansa and SWISS. There are special offers too. Plus, it’s free to join.
For clients looking for package options with Air Canada Vacations, the tour op has a six-night ‘Vienna, Prague and Salzburg’ package that includes roundtrip flight, six nights hotel with breakfast, private airport transfers, train tickets and daily activities.
Looking ahead to the holiday season, Vienna is home to some of the world’s top rated Christmas markets.
And closer to home, right here in Toronto the annual ‘Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert 2024’ will take place Jan. 1, 2024 at Roy Thomson Hall. It’s part of a much-loved series of concerts that also takes place in Vancouver, New York City and more.
More information about Vienna can be found at Vienna.info.
