Vienna targets rich Chinese and other visitors with exclusive, bespoke offers; Austrian capital wants more ‘life-seeing’ tourists
- As well as its regular sightseers, Vienna is wooing tourists with deep pockets who want to experience different sides of the Austrian capital
- Less visited districts and individualised tours are being promoted in a plan targeting tourists from the US, China, France, Germany and the Middle East
Instead of visiting the famous opera house, get a private lesson with a professional Viennese musician.
Instead of a bus tour through the Austrian capital, wander around an exhibition with the museum director.
Instead of taking a Viennese cafe selfie, spend an evening preparing food with a local traditional business.
With a more nuanced approach to exploring the city – or what tourism officials are calling “life-seeing” instead of sightseeing – the city of Vienna is trying to pull in more rich tourists.
“We are taking advantage of the increasing demand for exclusive, hyper-individualised offers away from the mass market,” tourism director Norbert Kettner said, announcing a push to draw in deep-pocketed tourists.
While central city sights such as St Stephen’s Cathedral and the Hofburg Palace will remain the destination for most tourists, Vienna now wants to invite visitors to leave the beaten track.
