Winterliebe Campaign Advertises Holidays In Austria With A Budget Of 10 Million Euros

In a joint press conference, Tourism Minister Elisabeth Köstinger and the managing director of Österreich Werbung (ÖW), Lisa Weddig, gave an optimistic outlook for the winter season 2021/22. A new study shows that national and international guests are very interested in a holiday in Austria. The aim is to bring Austria as a tourist location back into the fast lane with clear and safe rules as well as with the new ÖW campaign “Winterliebe” with a volume of 10 million euros.

“A new study by Österreich Werbung on seven major markets of origin paints a positive picture for winter 2021/22. From these countries alone, the study sees a potential of 17 million guests for domestic winter tourism, ”says Köstinger, who attributes this great interest in Austria as a tourist destination to the measures taken. “Austria is not only one of the most beautiful, but also one of the safest holiday destinations in the world. In the summer we showed that safe hospitality is possible. Strict rules, safe vacation. That is also our motto for winter holidays in Austria. "

Provision was made for the coming years with a structural increase in the ÖW budget: “We have increased the ÖW budget for the coming years by a total of 22 million euros. This is an important investment in the future of domestic tourism. It is the first increase in this budget since 2002 and will significantly increase the scope of the ÖW in its campaigns. "

"The starting point for the upcoming winter season is excellent," says Lisa Weddig, managing director of Österreich Werbung. “People want to catch up on the winter vacation that last season, and Austria offers the best prerequisites for this. It's not for nothing that we are the market leader for winter sports holidays and holidays in the snow. "

Study: 17 million potential winter guests

The NIT Institute for Tourism Research in Kiel analyzed the vacation plans in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Great Britain, the Czech Republic and Poland on behalf of Österreich Werbung. The results are extremely positive. For 60 percent of Austrians who are planning a winter vacation, a domestic vacation is an option or has already been specifically planned or even booked. That adds up to 2.5 million potential domestic guests. In Germany, 26 percent of those surveyed can imagine a winter holiday in Austria, which means 9.5 million potential guests. Across all seven markets, the study sees a potential of 17 million winter vacationers for Austria. The confidence that your winter holiday in Germany will be able to take place despite Corona,

The study underlines this winter competence of Austria. For those guests who are planning a winter sports vacation or a “winter vacation in the snow”, Austria is one of the favorite destinations: In Germany and the Netherlands, the largest market of origin, Austria ranks first and second in Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland . In Great Britain, Austria is in fourth place, just behind second and third place (Italy and Switzerland).

The strongest travel months are December, January and February - as in normal years. While there was still the trend in spring to move forward or postpone travel due to corona, the pandemic no longer seems to play a role in the guests' travel planning. The trend towards ever shorter-term bookings continues: the majority book one to three months or at all within four weeks prior to departure.  

The study also ascertained which criteria are particularly relevant for booking during Corona. Accordingly, guests pay particular attention to money-back guarantees and generous cancellation conditions. When asked which Covid measures could keep you from booking, the top responses are quarantine on site and quarantine on the return journey. A possible vaccination requirement is seen in a relaxed manner, which is likely to be related to the high vaccination rate of the potential guests.

Österreich Werbung invests 10 million euros in the "Winterliebe" campaign

In order to support the industry in this crucial phase of the restart, Österreich Werbung has launched its largest winter campaign to date. With the theme “Winter Love”, the campaign aims to spark the guests' passion for winter in Austria. “Winter in Austria has so many facets: skiing on the perfectly groomed slopes, snowshoeing through snow-covered forests, a snowball fight with the family, a visit to the Advent market or a visit to the thermal baths, to name just a few. We in Austria live and love winter and this attitude towards life, we want to spark this enthusiasm for winter with our campaign also among our guests, ”says Weddig.

The entire industry will use the common hashtag #winterliebe in their communication and thus guarantee maximum visibility. The federal states, cities and regions were closely involved in the conception of the campaign. This is essential for the success of the campaign, believes Weddig: “Right now the competition between the destinations is extremely fierce. Austria is the undisputed market leader in winter. But we cannot rest on that. So I'm glad that the entire industry is on board. Together we ensure maximum visibility for winter holidays in Austria on the markets. We are investing a total of 10 million euros for winter communication. This is the biggest winter campaign that Österreich Werbung has ever implemented, ”says Weddig.

The campaign will be played out on 13 markets: Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Russia, Great Britain, Denmark and Sweden. These are the markets from which, according to the study and assessments of the ÖW market offices, the greatest potential for the winter in Austria can be expected. A broad marketing mix is ​​used, from online to social media and out-of-home to TV advertising.

Skiing number 1 - the variety of winter activities is increasing

Austria is the number one winter sports destination: 54 percent of all European winter (sports) holidays go to Austria (IPK International, 2019). Skiing is still by far the most popular activity: 71 percent of all winter vacationers in Austria ski here (T-MONA 2019/20). Nevertheless, winter in Austria is much more diverse. In addition to the sporting variety - skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing - through to experiences relating to art, culture and cuisine: the campaign depicts the complete diversity of winter in Austria.

“Austria presented its corona measures for the winter early on and was already a pioneer with 3-G in summer. With the new rules we are well positioned for the winter. Our study of vacation plans in the seven most important markets of origin shows that guests are in the holiday mood, that they want to come and will come. From today's perspective, another failure of the winter season is unimaginable and would be a disaster for the industry. At the moment everything indicates that we can take the momentum from summer into winter and look forward to a good winter, ”said Köstinger and Weddig in conclusion.

To the study

The survey for the study “Winter Potentials 2021/2022” was carried out online from 6 to 13 September 2021 by the Institute for Tourism and Swimming Pool Research in Northern Europe (NIT) among people aged 18 to 75 years. The survey was conducted in Austria (1,507 people), Germany (2,008 people), Switzerland (1,002 people), the Netherlands (1,500 people), Great Britain (2,001 people), the Czech Republic (1,501 people) and Poland (2,002 people).