Austria launches new game app

Austrian National Tourist Office (ANTO) has launched a new game app for smartphones and tablets, which enables its users to take snapshots of themselves in front of famous attractions on a virtual tour through Austria.

The photos can then be shared on Facebook, Twitter, via Email or text message.

A new Facemapping technology enables the user to create a personalised avatar that has the user’s real face on it. What’s more, the app affords the possibility of winning a trip to Austria every week until June 14 this year.

Online success

'More than 50 per cent of all holiday bookings in Europe done in the GCC are already done through the internet,' says Klaus Ehrenbrandtner, ANTO regional director Asia and the Middle East. 'The internet is the number one information tool for holiday inspiration and decision in the GCC. The traffic on both ANTO website and ANTO Facebook page has more than doubled in less than two years.'

Ehrenbrandtner and his team developed the unique game app, which is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese. The app features three game modes to test the users’ skills: hiking in Tyrol, boat-riding in Salzburg and waltzing in Vienna.

In each game, the user collects coins to unlock new destinations and new moves and poses for the avatar. The app is called Austria Snapshot Adventure and is available free of charge on App Store for Apple devices and on Google Play for Android phones and tablets.

Users can win a trip for two including return flights with Austrian Airlines to Vienna and stay in a five-star hotel. Every time they share or post a holiday snapshot, their names will enter the raffle and every Sunday a winner will be drawn out of all entries.

Success

Austria has been the fastest-growing European destination in the GCC travel market. The number of guests from the Middle East travelling to Austria has increased sevenfold (about 600 per cent) in the last 10 years. Last year, Austria welcomed more than 300,000 guests from the Middle East, the majority coming from Saudi Arabia (90,000) and the UAE (85,000).

'We expect further growth in 2015, so it would be the fifth record year in a row. The current exchange rate makes Austria very attractive in terms of value for money.

'The Euro is about 20 per cent cheaper than it was in the last years and that will clearly reflect on rates for hotels and tours in the whole Eurozone,' says Klaus Ehrenbrandtner.

'In addition, we have upgraded our online destination programme Austria Certified Travel Specialist (ACTS) for the trade with tailor-made tour itineraries for client groups in the Middle East and we give away gadgets like the iPad Air 2 or iPhone 6 Plus and trips to Austria for our participants who graduate before August.'

ACTS programme

ACTS is Austria’s online destination programme for travel agents. It features seven different destination courses, at the end of each an exam needs to be cleared.

After passing all exams a participant graduates as an ACTS and receives a range of benefits: all ACTS graduates are promoted as Austria booking specialists by the Austrian National Tourist Office on its website, Facebook site, in brochures, and all ACTS graduates receive the official certificate and can participate in exclusive familiarisation trips.

In 2015, a whole range of new courses was added to the standard destination courses.

The new ones feature the best tour itineraries in Austria and they show tailor-made tours for families, honeymooners, shopping aficionados and many more target groups.

'These itineraries can basically be copy-pasted and be sold as they are. They show perfect tours with all details like how to get from one attraction to the next, admission fees, opening times, everything the client wants to know. Of course, they also show why this attraction is perfect for which target groups and include many photos and video material to give a clear picture to the agent and the client,' says Ehrenbrandtner.

The ACTS membership needs to be renewed every year by passing the exams of the current courses.