The Department of Tourism (DOT) said Tuesday it is ramping up efforts to attract more visitors from Austria, a promising new market for Philippine tourism.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco met with Austrian State Secretary for Tourism Susanne Kraus-Winkler in Vienna on March 7, 2024 to explore ways to boost tourism collaboration between the two nations.
“We acknowledge the opportunity to strengthen the market. We also wish to maximize the opportunity to educate and inform Austrians about our tourism products in the Philippines which are of great interest to Europeans including our beaches, dive sites, adventure offerings, and experiential travel,” she said.
The discussions focused on establishing a memorandum of tourism cooperation between the Philippines and Austria and aims to boost tourism numbers and encourage travel between the two countries; learn from each other’s successes in sustainable tourism, cultural preservation and retirement tourism programs; and, enhance training programs for hospitality workers.
The MOU also intends to explore ways to facilitate easier travel between the two countries.
The Philippines showed keen interest in learning from Austria’s experience in implementing sustainable tourism practices, recognizing its importance for the future of both nations’ tourism economies.
Both parties explored the possibility of a working holiday program, outlined in a previously signed MOU signed October 2023.
Kraus-Winkler said the program would foster cultural exchange and tourism by allowing young people from both countries to gain work experience and travel opportunities.
The large Filipino community in Austria, composed of 30,000 Filipinos and 60,000 Filipino-Austrians, presents a unique opportunity for cultural exchange and tourism promotion.
The Department of Tourism also highlighted the impressive 89-percent recovery in visitor arrivals from Austria in 2023, showing potential for further growth.