Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
intellectual stimulation, personal contacts and
diversity rather than recreation. The quality of
the tourist infrastructure is not a foremost crite-
rion. This favours Central and Eastern Europe.
Central and Eastern Europe is also especially
attractive in this segment, since on the one hand
it was practically inaccessible for decades and is
therefore a relatively new, exciting, 'adventur-
ous' and almost exotic offer for the market. On
the other hand it is well-known to the older
generation due to its close historic inter-linkages
especially with Western Central Europe, due to
personal and family relations and not least also
to war experiences.
In spite of substantial growth it offers a mul-
titude of possibilities which are still only partially
utilized. The boom of study and theme travel to
Central and Eastern Europe certainly detracts
potential customers from Austria, but is not such
a prominent segment in quantitative terms that
this would have severe economic effects.
rates as well as the still low level of income
(Lohmann, 2004). An encouraging aspect is
certainly economic growth, which is currently
significantly stronger than in the 'old' member
states and will more or less continue up to an
equalization of East-West socio-economic
disparities provided European integration pro-
ceeds and the chances of the new members to
succeed in the European market are not
reduced by continued or even new restrictions.
As noted already in the introduction, for-
mal accession to the EU as of 1 May, 2004 is not
much more than a symbolic date, since socio-
economic integration is a long-term process
which started earlier and is not yet completed.
Formal membership meant neither the fall of all
economic restrictions nor the end of border con-
trols. Full mobility of labour, inclusion into the
Schengen zone and the currency union will not
be achieved much before 2010. It can therefore
be expected that outbound tourism flows from
Central and Eastern Europe will continue to
grow slowly, more or less in line with economic
growth.
A different question is whether Austria
will be able to attract a larger portion of this
potential. Traditions of travelling must not be
neglected in this respect, but also not overesti-
mated. A certain nostalgia to be found in many
parts of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy
for what is today Austria and especially for
Vienna may also be favourable; but (in the first
line) prices, a certain similarity of the offer
(except winter sports), the usual drive of Central
Europeans towards the Mediterranean, the
change of tourism trends, cheap offers in over-
seas and low cost airlines are strong arguments
speaking against a more prominent role of
Austria in the Central and Eastern European
tourism market.
However, an essential factor, which is fortu-
nately completely under domestic control, is also
a strategic vision and attitude in respect to the
new markets in Central and Eastern Europe. If,
first, guests from Central and Eastern Europe are
treated personally as if they were major custom-
ers, if their specific interests are respected and
their language is learnt, if they are granted spe-
cial discounts and benefits although they play so
far only a marginal role and are not the biggest
spenders; if, second, specific marketing concepts
streamlined
Central and Eastern Europe as a
Tourism Market for Austria
Central and Eastern Europe is so far by no
means a prominent tourism market for Austria
(2003: 3.439m overnight stays or 4% of all
foreign overnights), although it has been slowly
growing during the transformation period. The
question arises whether EU accession of five of
the six Central and Eastern European countries
in 2004 meant a change and what were the
chances for a continued positive development
or perhaps even an acceleration?
Similar to 'old' member states, Central
and Eastern Europe undergoes a demographic
change towards an aging society, but different
from 'Old' Europe, the older and retired gene-
ration have smaller financial reserves, if any.
Indeed, many of the retired are transformation
losers with little hope that their situation will
change. This does not nourish expectations that
the older generation will even in the longer run
play the role it plays in the tourism of Western
societies right now.
Other, but perhaps much more ephemeral
barriers for a more dynamic development of the
Eastern tourism market are the still unfavour-
able
currency
parities,
high
unemployment
to
demands
of
the
individual
