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Which are the
popular destinations in Austria?
Most tour operators have Innsbruck within their programme
especially the group tour operators who offer Switzerland,
Germany, France and Italy in their programme. So it's very easy
for them to travel via Tyrol, stop at Kristallwelten which is the
Swarovski Crystal Museum in Wattens near Innsbruck and move on to
the other destinations. So the tours normally include a visit to
Wattens on their way up to Germany or on their way down to Italy.
The second most popular destination for Indian travellers is
Vienna, as there is a direct flight and some of the travellers
want to combine travel to East European countries and Vienna acts
as a hub. No 3 is Salzburg which is mainly famous for the Sound of
Music tour especially for the Indian travellers. |
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What are the
marketing plans for celebrating Mozart Year 2006?
We have a special marketing group in Vienna which was formed for
the purpose for promoting the Mozart Year 2006 and several tour
operators have also come out with special Mozart packages. Being
the 250th birth anniversary of Mozart, there are several Mozart
concerts organized especially in Vienna and Salzburg to
commemorate this event. |
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What segment of
travellers from India visit Austria?
70% of Indian travellers visiting Austria stay in high end
luxury hotels which is the 4 star and the 5 star category. So we
get the top end market. About 40% of travellers visit Austria a
second time to explore other areas. This would include
destinations such as Lake District in Upper Austria and the
Glaciers in Salzburg and Tyrol where one can see snow and
experience skiing or sledging even in May, June or July. These
are popular places as most of the Indians crave to see water and
snow, hence these areas are gaining popularity. There is also
the Stubai Glacier which is becoming very popular. May and June
is the best time for Indian travellers as it also coincides with
the summer holidays out here. Even July is an excellent time to
be in Austria. |
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Which are the
major markets for Austria?
By far Germany is the big market. We are only 8 million people
and we have over 28 million visitors which is more than three
times our population. From the far distant markets, no 1 is
U.S.A followed by Japan. Besides Germany we have visitors from
Switzerland, Italy and generally from all round Europe. |
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What is your role
as Director of ANTO?
I have been heading ANTO for the last 8 years. Initially, my role
was to create awareness for Austria. Of late, my role is more of
administration and P.R. related. So I co-ordinate with Microsoft,
various Television channels and other media for promotions across
all levels. In September 2005, we also have set up the Mumbai
office to cater to the western region of India . |
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Which part of India
has a large number of travellers to Austria?
Mumbai and Delhi are equally important as from Delhi it is more of
the FIT market that travels to Austria whereas from Mumbai it is
primarily group travel. With direct flights to Vienna, we expect
the FIT market to grow in India. The other important cities for us
are Chennai and Bangalore. |
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What are the
challenges you face on your job?
I try to meet all the demands which at times is a little
difficult since we are currently two people who handle the
market. India is a huge country and we have limited budgets and
you have to convince the Austrian people that India is not only
a huge market but potentially an emerging market as well. |
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How do you spend
your spare time and what are your preferred destinations in
Austria and India?
I am a sports freak. I go everyday to the gym , I love the
mountains and I am a great India fan and I love travelling with in
India. I have three big dogs which also keep me busy during most
of my spare time. In Austria it's my home town Salzburg and the
Lake district in the South of Austria and in India it is
definitely the mountains - Himachal and Mussorie |
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Lastly, what is
your message to the readers.
My message to readers is that you should come to Austria to see
for yourselves the diversity, the landscape, the hospitality that
Austria has to offer. And yes, Austria is the safest country to
visit in Europe. |
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7 Wonders of SALZBURG… |
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As Christine is a
Salzburger, here are some important facts about Salzburg one of
Austria's most popular areas worth a visit when you plan your
trip to Europe. Although there is lots to see in Salzburg, we
bring to you the 7 WONDERS of SALZBURG… |
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1.Eisriesenwelt -
The world's largest ice caves.
Open daily between May and October from 9 am to 3.30 pm and in
July and August upto 4.30 pm, you can see lovely ice palaces of
crystal clear beauty even on a hot summer day. Located 40
kilometres South of Salzburg you can take a cable car to visit the
Ice Caves which has an average temperature of 0ºC and a regular
ticket inclusive of the cable car ride would cost you 17 Euros per
person. For fitness freaks it would be a good idea to take a one
way cable car which would take mere 3 minutes and walk down the
other way which is a 90 minutes descent. For more details visit
www.eisriesenwelt.at
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2. The Sound of
Music Tour
In 1965, one of the most successful epic movies , The Sound of
Music was shown in the cinemas and eventually ended up winning
10 Oscars. The movie based on the story of the Von Trapp Family
from Austria shattered all box office records and this epic
movie was shot in Salzburg. You can relive the “Sound of Music”
experience in a 4 hour tour costing 35 Euros where you visit the
Mirabell Gardens where the famous “Do-re-mi” was sung, followed
by Leopoldskron Castle and Hellbrunn Castle, the Nonnberg Alley
and later pick up your Edelweiss souvenir before proceeding to
St.Gilgen and Lake Wolfgang in the region of Salzkammergut and
finally the Mondsee Cathedral. A tour especially for an Indian
traveller who loves Bollywood and Hollywood, you should not miss
the Sound of Music Tour when in Salzburg. |
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3. The Hellbrunn
Palace and the Trick Fountains
Known as the summer residence, the Hellbrunn Palace was a place
of joy and celebrations and today the major attraction at the
Palace are the trick fountains. You will also
find mysterious garden grottos, tremendous works of art, magical
surprises and an unbelievable park, truly a summer dream of sun,
water and art all put together. |
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4. The Mozart
Geburtshaus
A must visit attraction, the Mozart's Birthplace is where
Wolfgang Mozart Amadeus was born in 1756 and today is a museum
which exhibits the violin that Mozart played as a child, the
piano forte, portraits, letters and other memorabilia of the
genius and is open to public between 9 am and 6 pm every day and
in July and August you can visit the Mozart's birthplace until 7
pm. Nearby you can also visit Mozart's Residence and you can
also see the Mozart Monument in Mozart square. |
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5. The Salt Mines
You can take a journey through time into the legendary Durrnberg
salt mountain which has over 450 year old salt mines. You can
enter the salt mines wearing traditional salt miner clothes and
use the same slides as hundreds of miners used to take to
descend to the grottos and the magical world beneath the surface
of the earth. Interestingly, it is the salt which gave the city
the name Salzburg. For 16, 15 Euros you can buy a ticket to see
the mines and the Celtic village or you can take a four hour
guided tour from the city of Salzburg for 43 Euros per person
inclusive of a visit to the romantic Bavarian Alps as well as a
short visit to Berchtesgaden. |
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6. Haus der Natur
Located 100 metres away from the Salzach River, the House of
Nature is a delight for both the young and old. At 4,50 Euros
you can visit the natural world from all corners of the earth
from the arctic to the tropical rainforests, the living museum
comprising of the aquarium, the reptile zoo as well as the most
ancient of kingdoms where you will find living honey bees,
bumble bees, leaf-cutter ants, termites and more. Then there is
the segment on people and nature where you take a journey
through the human body, the wonders of the sea, the treasure
trove where you will find gold and precious stones as well as a
unique exhibit of domestic animals. The Haus der Natur is open
daily from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm and you can find further details
at www.hausdernatur.at
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7. The Salzburg
Open Air Museum
This is situated a few kilometers away from the city of Salzburg
where you will discover a great variety of building and living
methods and style in rural culture and become acquainted with
interesting details of peasant life in former times. From 60
original buildings dating back over 5 centuries, to old
tractors, steam engines, house of sounds, various handicraft
presentations, you will find them all. The museum is closed on
Mondays and it costs you 7 Euros to visit this museum which has
also won the Austrian Museum Prize. |
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Truly, Salzburg
has lots more to offer from Höhensalzburg fortress the largest
fortification in Europe, Höhenwerfen the adventure castle, a
Salzburg zoo, various museums, dinner concerts with Mozart
celebrations as well as some fine shopping for those who want to
take back memories of this wonderful region of Austria. |
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Lastly, the best
way to see Salzburg is by buying a 24 hr or 48 hr or 72 hr
Salzburg card with prices starting from 20 Euros. The card is of
great value as it gives you free admission to all major
attractions in the city, free use of public transport including
fortress funicular, panorama boat and cable car Untersberg. You
can buy the card at your hotel or if you book a package to
AUSTRIA with COMPACT TRAVELS which includes Salzburg, you will
get a complimentary 24 hour Salzburg Card. For details on
Austria and Salzburg contact (022) 22828208 or 22812593 or email
compact@rbcsgroup.com |
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