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Innsbruck – Everything happened very fast. The rumor spread Monday night and official confirmation came Tuesday morning: The Netherlands issued a travel warning for Innsbruck and Vienna. Soon after, the first guests left their Tyrolean lodgings. A blow to Tyrolean tourism. Not just because of the latest trips booked from the Netherlands. More so, because it is feared that travel warnings now also come from other regions.
The consequences of other countries issuing travel advisories would be dramatic.
Karin Seiler (Innsbruck Tourism Director)
Karin Seiler, director of Innsbruck Tourismus, speaks of a “dramatic” situation if other countries also focused on Innsbruck and followed the Dutch. “The consequences” are even worse than the acute situation. In Innsbruck, the travel warning comes at the worst possible time. They had recovered slowly and performed better than expected in July and August.
Karin Seiler.
© Julia Hammerle
In the months of September, October and November, according to information from Tirol Werbung, around 44,000 Dutch visit Tyrol, 30,000 of them in September. The share of Dutch tourists in the country accounts for around 3.5 percent in the autumn months, making it the fourth largest market after Germany (57 percent), Austria (12.6 percent) and Switzerland (nine percent). “Not a good omen” is the travel warning for Holger Gassler, Director of Markets and Events at Tirol Werbung. Because: “Reservations for the winter are already starting.” And the Dutch make up a not inconsiderable part of the guests. “Especially in the Kitzbühel, Zillertal, Paznaun and St. Anton Alps.” But given that these are “mostly regular guests”, Gassler hopes that “the Dutch can easily distinguish between Innsbruck and the rest of Tyrol. It would be fatal if the travel warning was still active in mid-December. ” In principle, he predicts “that the travel warnings this season are something that we have to take into account and that must be addressed.”
Flughafendirektor Marco Pernetta.
© TT/Thomas Böhm
Innsbruck airport management does not expect any drastic effect from the travel warning. “At least for the moment,” emphasizes CEO Marco Pernetta. “Most of the guests who land here are not in the city area anyway, but somewhere else in Tyrol.” According to the Netherlands, a transfer from the airport to other parts of the country is possible without having to go into quarantine afterwards. “Also, we are absolutely out of season right now.” A plane from Amsterdam is currently heading to the Tyrolean capital twice a week. These flights will be suspended at the end of October as planned and will resume at the end of November. The destinations Rotterdam and Eindhoven will be added in December ”. If the travel warning were to stay in place, it could also be painful for the Innsbruck airport. In theory, up to 40 flights per week with around 180 passengers per flight would be affected. “After England, Holland is our strongest market in winter. We assume, however, that the situation will have relaxed by then. “
After England, the Netherlands is our strongest market in winter. At the moment it is absolutely out of season.
Marco Pernetta (Airport Director)
The travel advisory for Innsbruck “hurts,” Deputy Mayor for Tourism Hannes Anzengruber (ÖVP) said yesterday. Innsbruck as a tourist place is well prepared. “We have developed security concepts and implemented greater security measures. Guests can feel safe with us, ”emphasizes Anzengruber. Innsbruck is currently at a threshold, the number of corona cases is slowly decreasing. “I would ask the Dutch to take the falling numbers into account and withdraw the travel warning,” says Anzengruber. Meanwhile, the state capital has reacted. Innsbruck shopping night is canceled on 2 October. Both the city and the tourist industry want to hang on to the Christmas markets. (bfk, dd, mw)
📽️ Video | Netherlands: travel advisory for Vienna and Innsbruck
