More than 155,000 participants attended this year’s edition of Vienna-based Ferien Messe trade fair combined with the Vienna Autoshow trade show. The event in the capital of Austria took place on 9-13 January.

Representatives of 800 exhibitors from more than 80 countries worldwide presented their offer at Austria’s largest tourism fair that for many years has been steadily gaining popularity among the Austrian audience. Both exhibitors and organisers were highly satisfied with the economic prosperity that made it possible for this year’s edition to attract numerous new visitors.

The fair organisers prepared a wide range of novel features with the spectators in mind. The list included a special sport and leisure zone, a meeting and leisure zone for exhibitors and a new stage programme concept featuring the tourist highlights of particular exhibitors.  

The Polish Tourism Organisation International Office in Vienna arranged a Polish national stand that had representatives of Regional Tourism Organisations hailing from Małopolska and Silesia showcase the tourist essentials of the cities of Bielsko-Biała, Kraków, Tarnów and Zabrze along with the Guido mine. An additional highlight of the stand involved the promotion of Warsaw’s Polish Vodka Museum and a public presentation of a mock-up of the Ostróda-Elbląg Canal.

Our national stand boasted a brand-new visual makeover arranged by Polish Tourism Organisation (Polska Organizacja Turystyczna - POT) and was very well received, attracting much attention among visitors and partners representing the industry and media dedicated to tourism.

POT also developed a wide range of additional highlights intended to promote incoming tourism to our country. The programme included, i.a. a Polish cuisine show staged as part of the global cuisine showcase Genusswelt - Live Kochshow. The hosting chefs represented Kraków’s Food & Friends Main Square Hospitality Group (MSHG), including restaurants Szara Gęś and Kogel-Mogel. Their participation was a part of the Kraków - European Capital of Gastronomic Culture 2019 project. All meals were prepared during live cooking shows, right in front of the audience, and then professionally served.

The Get Together initiative involved more than 150 invited partners and guests representing the media, tourist industry and organisations cooperating with the Viennese POT office. Its menu encompassed snacks cooked by chefs from the Kraków MSHG restaurants, drinks served by the Polish Vodka Museum, as well as fruits and sweets prepared by the POT International Office in Vienna. In addition, the meeting itself constituted a great opportunity to hold numerous talks about this year’s plans.

Every day we used the fair stage to introduce particular national stand partners, including the Polish Vodka Museum, Kraków, Masuria and Silesia. Besides a live presentation of information about particular regions, we also shown a short video about the tourist must-sees of the whole country. On the last day of the fair, an award - a weekend stay in Silesia for two – was presented to winners selected by an electronic system when purchasing fair tickets.

Finally, the fair was accompanied by promotion in traditional and modern media prepared by POT and involving, i.a. special press material and a newsletter showcasing particular regions and latest trends in Polish tourism sent out to all partners representing the Austrian market. An advertisement of Polish cities was shown in Vienna’s Central Railway Station (five platforms were used to present Gdańsk, Kraków, Katowice, Warsaw and Wrocław), while additional posters advertising the discussed cities were put up in 73 railway stations all over Austria. POT International Office in Vienna used social media to post information and cover fair preparations and proceedings.