Austria. Media News.

Dear friends of Austria and fellow travelers,

Fully aware of current world events and how this will effect our industry, we nonetheless want to bring some springtime Austria to you ... Spring is one of the best times to explore Austria for culture enthusiasts as well as nature lovers. We have a list of the best resorts for springtime skiing for you, we travel to Vorarlberg's Bregenzerwald to discover its unique woodworking culture, and we will share some news on Vienna's cultural events in 2022. We are also very excited about a new direct flight from LA to Vienna!

With warmest regards,
Sigrid Pichler

Manager of Public Relations
Austrian Tourist Office New York City
sigrid.pichler@austria.info
tel 212 575 7723 x 119

www.austria.info 

Did you know that roughly 54% of all European winter sport vacations are booked in one of Austria’s Alpine resorts. Currently, the yearning for some quality time away from everyday stressors and being surrounded by nature, moving in nature, is especially high. Austria delivers on all points necessary for a memorable vacation. With over 400 resorts to choose from, you’ll find one that is perfect for your tastes. Especially important for overseas guests: many resorts have snow guarantee even now that days are getting longer, and spring is in the air.

Some resorts are open as late as early May: Enjoy mild temperatures and outstanding skiing on a spring break in Austria. If you are an early riser, you might want to make use of the latest trend: select resorts (the Zillertalarena in Tirol, and Snow Space Salzburg for example) open lifts early in the day during March and April, so you can ski when the snow is best and few people are already on skis, then spend more time relaxing or enjoying the lively atmosphere on a sun terrace in the afternoon. 

Lifts and gondolas in Vorarlberg’s Montafon, as well as in Saalbach Hinterglemm and  Gastein in SalzburgerLand are open until April 18, 2022. Lech Zürs am Arlberg in Vorarlberg and Obergurgl in Tirol welcome skiers until April 24, 2022. And the ski arena Ski amadé in SalzburgerLand is open until May 1, 2022. The resort holding out the longest is Sölden in Tirol (with its very own  the glacier skiing area) with May 8, 2022 as the closing date for the season. All these resorts are wonderful destinations for guests from North America with a wide array of upscale hotels with great wellness facilities and off-piste activities for non-skiers.

There are few destinations where it is as easy to get to experience the lifestyle and philosophy of locals first-hand. In Vorarlberg’s Bregenzerwald, however, you’d have to make a big effort not to stumble upon one of the many artistic and cultural manifestations of the holistic and sustainable philosophy locals have cultivated for generations. Spring and early summer are the perfect time to explore the region.

The most obvious example of Bregenzerwald philosophy is apparent in local architecture. If there ever was a people with woodworking and architecture in its blood, you’ll find it here. With the lush green of fresh meadows setting off the warm tones of wood shingle facades and flowers gracing the balconies of traditional farm houses as well as their strikingly modern, wooden counterparts, spring is a particularly lovely time to visit and explore. Aside from guided walks that explain the special connection locals feel to the material and their woodlands, you can also visit the Werkraum Bregenzerwald, designed by Peter Zumthor. Here, local artisans which are part of the Werkraumhaus Association exhibit and sell their creations. Through its partnership with local hotels, the association also strengthens the connection between local hospitality and regional handcraft culture.  Since the region is also famous for its cheeses, the assumption that it also excels in other culinary areas is not far fetched, and especially in spring, local chefs love to keep their menus seasonal and built on produce and products available in the region.  

Another advantage of traveling to Vorarlberg in Spring is that one of its most original art projects is best viewed when temperatures are a little milder: The bus stops in Krumbach are stunning design pieces commissioned by international artists and transform waiting for your bus into an art experience in which nature is as much part of the gesamtkunstwerk as the actual design.

A new direct flight from Los Angeles and several new cultural offerings show that Vienna’s status as vibrant cultural center in the heart of Europe is unchanged.

Three quarters of visitors to Vienna come because of its rich cultural life. In the area between the University of Vienna and the Karlsplatz alone (an area of not even 0.5 square miles) visitors have close to 30 museums to choose from. It’s hard to imagine more art packed into such a small space, yet the number of cultural attractions is still growing: 2022 will bring a number of new museums like the reopening of the Lower Belvedere and the return of the Heidi Horten Collection:

- Lower Belvedere (end of January 2022), Rennweg 6, 1030 Vienna

- Heidi Horten Collection (scheduled opening spring 2022), Hanuschgasse 3, 1010 Vienna; website currently still in German only

Vienna’s popularity with American travelers is such that even during the pandemic, the US was the third most important market for the city’s tourism industry. Underlining this trend, Austrian Airlines will establish a new direct flight from Los Angeles to Vienna starting mid-May 2022, further strengthening the connection between the West Coast and Austria’s capital.