TORONTO — The Canadian market is rebounding nicely for Austria’s capital city, Vienna, according to Elke Bachner, Market Manager, Canada, for the Vienna Tourist Board.
Travelweek recently caught up with Bachner, who was in Toronto and Montreal attending Virtuoso events.
“Canadians are coming back. They’ve been loyal travellers and the year-round direct flights from both Toronto and Montreal have played a very important role,” she told Travelweek.
Lift between Canada and Vienna is strong, with year-round flights available on both Air Canada and Austrian Airlines. From Toronto, Air Canada offers five times weekly service, peaking to daily in summer and fall. And from Montreal, Austrian Airlines offers three times weekly service, going up to six times weekly during the summer months.
With so many travellers eyeing Europe vacations this spring and summer, Travelweek asked Bachner about hotel capacity in Vienna. Although new hotels have entered the market in Vienna, Bachner recommends Canadians not wait, and secure their accommodations as soon as possible.
“Last year, we had the opening of the Rosewood property, we’re proud about that, and this year we have the luxury Amauris hotel in Vienna, as well as the new Almanac Palais, both just recently opened,” says Bachner. “And in 2025 there will be a brand- new Mandarin hotel in town. We offer many five-star properties and are very privileged about that. In addition to the Park Hyatt, The Sacher, the Imperial and Bristol, we have new inventory so we can really accommodate tourists that come into the city. Our room nights numbers are almost back to 2019 levels.”
Bachner also had tips for Canadian travellers looking to enjoy Vienna’s ‘150 years of the Vienna World Fair’ celebrations this year.
“Vienna will have many exhibitions taking place all around the city,” she said. “They include the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the beautiful Belvedere Palace with a continuous roster of exhibits, and art in public spaces all around the city celebrating this year’s Visions and New Beginnings theme for the 150 years of the Vienna World fair. There is much to come into the city for this year.”
She added: “Our train service has enormously developed with high-speed trains and one of the most modern train stations and largest at the Hauptbahnhof, easily connecting to Paris, Berlin, Budapest and other major European gateways. We are right in the heart in the centre of Europe and well connected by both air and train. And for those leaning to the active side, we offer cycling trails up to Germany and down to Budapest.”
AMPM Canada, headed up by president Armando Mendoca, represents the Vienna Tourist Board in Canada.
From Canada specifically, visitor numbers to Vienna in 2022 were still in recovery mode, but travel trends indicate a significant recovery for 2023, said Mendoca.
“The city of music delights with Vienna’s palatial and garden landscape,” he said. “It’s the perfect backdrop to sit back in one of the many unique coffee houses while indulging on a slice of sachertorte, Vienna’s signature dessert, and a mélange.”
The Vienna Tourist Board’s site has a great section on coffee houses, he added.
Travel advisors wanting to know more about Vienna in 2023 can check out this list of select links from the Vienna Tourist Board’s site, courtesy of Bachner and Mendoca …
MUSEUMS
Six museum treasures in Vienna that are all worth a visit
Vienna’s museums are home to some special treasures.
www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/museums-exhibitions/top-picks-museum-treasures-vienna-361628
Kunsthistorisches Museum: Traces of the World´s Fair
What has ancient Egypt got to do with the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair?
Find out in a pretty impressive way at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.
www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/vision/worlds-fair-kunsthistorisches-museum-447360
Dinner in the Museum
First to the museum, then an excellent meal: artistic and culinary pleasures combine with maximum pleasure in Vienna’s museums.
www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/restaurants/dinner-in-the-museum-344486
EXHIBITIONS
Current blockbuster exhibitions in Vienna
Outstanding exhibitions await in Vienna – and there’s something to suit every taste.
www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/museums-exhibitions/blockbuster-exhibitions-422620
In the footsteps of Banksy
The exhibition “The Mystery of Banksy – A Genius Mind” brings
the world-famous street art of the anonymous genius to the Wiener Stadthalle.
www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/museums-exhibitions/banksy-exhibition-vienna-434644
Secession: 125 years
In 1897, Gustav Klimt and a number of other artists quit the conservative Künstlerhaus and founded a new art association called the Secession.
www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/art-nouveau/secession-357940
SISI
Sisi’s Vienna
No other empress is as famous as Sisi. Many places are living reminders of the tragic monarch.
www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/imperial/sisis-vienna-359082
Sisi Museum
Beautiful and celebrated Empress Elisabeth has long since become a cult figure.
www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/imperial/sisi-museum-359004
The Imperial Apartments
Empress Elisabeth in the imperial apartments inside Vienna’s Imperial Palace.
www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/imperial/imperial-apartments-348728
In the Footsteps of the Habsburgs
Take a walk in the footsteps of the Habsburgs.
www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/imperial/footsteps-habsburgs-346190
VIENNESE CAFES
Viennese Cafés
The Viennese coffee house is known around the globe for its informal pleasantness, as an oasis of gemütlichkeit.
www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/coffeehouses
The Top 6 traditional coffee houses in Vienna
Real Viennese coffee house culture can only be found in Vienna.
www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/coffeehouses/top-traditional-coffee-houses-in-vienna-361666
10 amusing facts about the Viennese coffee house
The Vienna coffee house and ten amusing facts you probably didn’t know yet.
www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/coffeehouses/wiener-kaffeehaus-fun-facts-433242
Coffeehouse walk through 23 districts
www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/coffeehouses/coffeehouse-walk-343504
SHOPPING
Trend shopping
Secret tips for a venture in Vienna’s hip shopping district.
www.wien.info/en/lifestyle-scene/trendy
Guided Shopping Tours
The little shops off the trails of the major shopping boulevards can be hard to find.
www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/shopping/shopping-tours-358490
Confectionery from Vienna
Vienna is also a Mecca for chocolate lovers. Sweet treats are hand-crafted in small factories:
from flowering confectionery to exotic truffles.
www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/shopping/blossoms-for-nibbling-341494
MUSIC
Vienna, the City of Music
Music fans engage with the heritage of famous composers and a live music scene comprising every genre.
www.wien.info/en/music-stage-shows/city-of-music
Great sounds in Vienna
More famous composers have lived here than in any other city – in Vienna, music is literally in the air
www.wien.info/en/music-stage-shows/classic/great-sounds-347246
House of Music
In Vienna’s interactive sound museum, the world of music is to be discovered – innovatively and unconventionally.
www.wien.info/en/music-stage-shows/city-of-music/house-music-348372
Vienna State Opera – guided tours
On a 40-minute guided tour, experience the Vienna State Opera, one of the most significant opera houses in the world
www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/tours-guides/vienna-state-opera-tours-363852
Mythos Mozart
Vienna’s new Mozart experience “Mythos Mozart” promises the world’s only multimedia experience for all the senses.
www.wien.info/en/music-stage-shows/city-of-music/mythos-mozart-431146
