Vienna inspires mini break revival with free trips
Vienna, one of Europe’s most culturally enticing cities, encouraged travellers to visit by offering more than 2,000 free trips
With so many fascinating cities right on our doorstep, European city breaks have long been a leisure staple for UK and Irish travellers. To encourage the comeback of the classic mini break post-pandemic, Vienna Tourist Board teamed up with other popular cities across the region for its United Cities of Tourism campaign, promoting an exchange of tourists between Europe’s cultural cities.
Running until the end of June, the campaign, which tells travellers “Travel to Vienna – and help your home city!” was splashed across city hotspots in major European metropolises such as London, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin and Rome. In the UK, more than 50 advertisements were featured at key locations on the London Underground. With the support of Austrian Airlines and rail company OBB, one in every 100 visitors to Vienna won a trip to a partner city.
Smart solution
City breaks were a driving force of European tourism before the pandemic, but the sector has been slower to recover from lockdowns and restrictions than beach holidays and other types of trips. With that in mind, Vienna’s campaign was a collaborative solution for all cultural cities to draw back visitors.
In total, there were almost 2,200 round-trip tickets to be won to a choice of 17 vibrant cities in the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and France including London and Manchester, Munich and Berlin, Zurich and Geneva, Florence and Rome, Barcelona and Nice. Winners were selected through a raffle system and notified on a weekly basis.
As part of the campaign, each destination created an online video capturing the essence of their city, encouraging visitors to support Vienna’s local coffee houses, for example, or to experience Berlin’s thriving club culture. Together the regional tourist boards also supported the campaign by highlighting iconic city landmarks on their social media channels.
Watch Vienna Tourist Board’s video:
Viennese whirl
British travellers flocked to Vienna pre-pandemic, with the UK in the top five countries for inbound tourism. Data shows UK travellers clocked up a total of 736,000 nights in the Austrian capital in 2019, contributing around 48 million euros to the local economy. The aim of the campaign was to drive city break bookings back up to pre-pandemic levels.
With so many majestic marvels and cultural sights to experience including historic palaces, theatres and opera houses, it’s little wonder the city was such a hit before the pandemic. Compact and walkable with curious shops, cavernous cafes and boutiques tucked away in side streets and squares, Vienna is ideal for a whirlwind weekend break. The Austrian capital is one of Europe’s oldest cultural centres and the birthplace of classical music, with a Unesco World Heritage-listed centre encircled by a green belt of parks on the site of the ancient city moat.
Celebrated artist Gustav Klimt is just one of the city’s cultural icons. Art is woven into the fabric of the city with more than 100 galleries and museums to explore, alongside some of Europe’s finest baroque buildings. With the campaign now in full swing, and cities across Europe ready to welcome back visitors, there’s no better time to book a classic city break to Vienna.
For more information on the United Cities of Tourism campaign, visit unitedcities.vienna.info.
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