Tourism is an important part of Austria’s services sector. In 1991 foreign tourists accounted for earnings of $192,4 billion, almost offsetting the negative trade balance and deficits in services or other accounts. Tourism is a principal industry and source of foreign exchange. In fact, Austria’s per capita tourist revenue is the highest in the world. Foreign overnight stays in Austria have risen consistently since World War II, from 50 million in 1950, to 59 million in 1970, and to 95 million in 1990. With 20 million visitors in 1990, Austria was fifth in the world in tourist revenues, surpassed only by the United States, France, Italy, and Spain. Most tourists come from European countries. Almost two-thirds come from Germany, followed by the Netherlands (10 percent) and Britain (5 percent).
Austria’s largest tourist attraction has long been the Alps - for skiing in the winter and for hiking and camping in the summer. For this reason, the mountainous provinces of Tirol, Carinthia, and Vorarlberg produce the greatest tourist revenues. Salzburg is an important tourist attraction in the summer. Vienna remains a tourist center all year but does not generate as much tourist revenue as the mountain areas.
| Tirol´s valley - source |
Austria has 20,000 hotels and pensions, as well as an additional 50,000 private rooms available to house tourists. In addition, there are thousands of simpler accommodations, such as youth hostels, mountain huts, and campsites.
Austria has also made significant progress in becoming an international conference center. The so-called United Nations City, located outside Vienna, contains the headquarters of a number of major United Nations (UN) organizations. Vienna also has an international conference center. Taking advantage of Austria’s neutral status, Vienna has hosted numerous East-West negotiations and is the permanent seat not only of such longestablished organizations as the International Atomic Energy Agency but also of the newer Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The opening of Eastern Europe is likely to make Vienna an even more important center for East-West travel.
Places to visit in Austria
Visits to Austria mostly include trips to Vienna with its Cathedral, its "Heurigen" (wine pubs) and romantic Waltz music flair. Worth a visit are Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart, Innsbruck, capital of Tyrol surrounded by the Alps, and the Danube valley with its vineyards, for example the Wachau or Dunkelsteinerwald, which are between Melk and Krems. In the western part of the country the province Vorarlberg reaches the Lake Constance, in the eastern part Neusiedler See.
Of great touristic importance are the Austrian skiing, hiking and mountaineering resorts in the Alps as well as family-friendly recreation areas (e.g. the Witches’s Water in Tyrol). The same applies to the numerous Austrian lakes (e.g. Wolfgangsee and other lakes in the Salzkammergut east of Salzburg or Wörthersee in Carinthia).
For visitors interested in Media Art, there is the Ars Electronica Center in Linz. Since 1979 this center has organized the Ars Electronica Festival and presented the Prix Ars Electronica, the worldwide highest-ranked prize for media art.
If you have an interest in architecture then you will love Austria. Austria has always been a melting pot of creative ideas and various artistic and architectural styles. Drawing both from the rich local cultural legacy and a thriving art scene, Austria in recent years recaptured its role as a leading art center in Europe. Museums, galleries and spectacular exhibitions make Austria a favorite destination for every art lover.
Architecture of Austria is marked by a great variety of styles and traditions ranging from ornate baroque buildings to modern innovations which reflect different periods in history of Austria. The centuries of Habsburgs’ rule, for example, have left an impressive number of beautiful constructions testifying to the land prosperity and the power of the royal family.
The land has quite a number of sightseeings and attractions luring tourists from all over the world to travel Austria. Historic centers of Vienna, Graz and Salzburg, palaces and gardens of Schönbrunn, Innsbruck and many other sites are included in the World Heritage List among other 830 properties as they are considered to have immense universal value.
Austria is famous for its ancient castles, gorgeous palaces, and solemn cathedrals. Among most prominent works of architecture to see when you travel Austria we could probably single out such castles as Burg Hohenwerfen, Liechtenstein Castle, palaces like Schönbrunn and the Belvedere, cathedrals including the Minoritekirche in Vienna, the Melk Abbey, and even the Imperial Crypt cemetery. Some of them will be described in more detail below for you to know the best places to visit while you travel Austria.
Schönbrunn Palace with its surrounding buildings and the huge park is one of the most significant cultural monuments in Austria. The castle was built to rival French Versailles in Baroque beauty and importance, but the House of Habsburg lacked funds to outdo its rivalling nation France.
The Prater is Vienna’s most popular fun fair. Enjoy a great view over Vienna from the Giant Wheel, or do some sports and relax in an expansive area of parks, forest land and fields. The Prater is situated near the city centre and is ideal for walking, cycling, jogging or just lying in the grass after an exhausting sightseeing tour of Vienna.
Two further attractions in the Prater are the Vienna Wurschtlprater, an amusement park with the Giant Wheel (Riesenrad), where one can enjoy a terrific view over Vienna from 200 feet altitude, and the Lilliputian Railroad (Liliputbahn), a 2.6 mile railway line with age old steam locomotives, providing transportation to the Trade Fair grounds and to the Stadium. The Giant Wheel was erected in 1897 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I. The wheel itself spans 200 feet (about 60 m.). 15 cabins and the upholding structure weigh a total of 430,5 t and rotate at the speed of 0,65 m/sec.
It was originally a medieval castle, but today only the kastle chapel (’Burgkapelle’) demonstrates its medieval past. The Hofburg was extended to a magnificent residence when the power of the Habsburgs increased. That’s why one can find almost any architectural style, from gothic to art nouveau. Nowadays this enormous komplex is home to the "Österreichische Nationalbibliothek" (National Library) and the "Schatzkammer" (Imperial Treasury). It houses a collection of musical instruments, another collection of weapons, the "Museum für Völkerkunde" (Museum of Ethnography) and the world-famous "Spanische Hofreitschule" (Spanish Riding School).
It is the oldest and last Riding School in the world where classic dressage is still practised in its purest form. This Institute was founded in 1572. Its name refers to the fact that the horses were of Spanish origin. The Lipizzaner is regarded to be the oldest classic race horse in Europe. The horses used to be bread in Lipizza in Slovenia. Today, there is a stud in Piber, close to Graz. Young Lipizzaner are black and only turn white when reaching maturity.
Austria is a country full of interesting cultural centers. Some of the more prominent ones include the Schönbrunn, historic Vienna, Salzburg, and Graz. Heading outside the cities one can enjoy the incredible beauty of Lake Neusiedl, the Wachau Valley, and the mountain vistas of the Hallstatt, Dachstein, Salzhammergut regions.
A point of pride for Austria is Graz. In 2003 this city was designated the "Cultural Capital of Europe".