It's the 250th anniversary of Beethoven and Vienna is ready for your arrival

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Vienna - Now and Forever

Written by: Serean Bechara

Hello travel industry professionals and welcome to our exclusive spotlight on Vienna! I had the pleasure of going to the lovely Bisha Hotel in Toronto to join Vienna Tourist Board and their partners (Air Canada and Lufthansa Group) for an elegant night of delicious cuisine, music, and presentations.

For those of you unable to attend, I’ve rounded up what you need to know about Vienna for 2020.

Let’s jump right into it…

250th Anniversary of Beethoven

The evening begins with a glass of Procescco and the sound of classical music being played by a string quartet. It's raining in Toronto but on the 43rd floor of the Bisha Hotel, we didn't even notice. I was taken aback at the intimate gala by the variety of professionals in the room.

From travel bloggers to fashion designers, this is Vienna.

It's the 250th anniversary of Beethoven and Vienna is ready for your arrival Armando Mendonca

On the screen we see a fascinating quote, like a mantra, being repeated throughout the night. This is a quote from a love letter by Beethoven:

"Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours."

Some of you may already know this, but Beethoven lived his life in Vienna since the age of 23. It was in Vienna where he lost his hearing but was still able to painstakingly compose some of the greatest classics of our lifetime.

FUN FACT: Beethoven’s favourite place in Vienna was the 19th district, Döbling.

2020 will be the 250th anniversary of Beethoven and Vienna is ramping up for an incredible year of Canadian tourism.

"What Nashville is to the USA, is what Vienna is to Europe." - Billy Joel

It's the 250th anniversary of Beethoven and Vienna is ready for your arrival Elke Bachner and Armando Mendonca

Vienna International Airport

The lovely Ursula Pusch, Manager of the Americas Aviation Development for Vienna International Airport, let us in on some exciting new updates.

A key differentiator between Vienna International Airport and other airports is the fact that they’re suggesting just 25 minutes between flight connections. This is because everything has been designed to streamline the traveller process and it’s small enough that you can make your way around the airport easily.

Also, Vienna International Airport is expanding its shopping area to include authentic Austrian food and local brands. This is set to be completed by 2023. The renovation also includes updates to Terminal 2 and Pier East as well as an enlargement to Terminal 3.

FUN FACT: Did you know that Vienna was voted the most liveable city in the world? Not too shabby!

It's the 250th anniversary of Beethoven and Vienna is ready for your arrival Ursula Pusch

Ursula also let us know about some incredible statistics:

• From January - August 2019 Vienna Airport’s passenger growth went up 20.9%
• From January - August 2019 (from Vienna to Canada) passenger growth went up 119.6%
• In 2018, Vienna Airport broke records with 27 million passengers (up 10.8%)
• Vienna Airport is on track to have 31 million passengers for the year 2019

Vienna Airport is also the proud winner of the ACI ASQ Award (Gold), Europe’s Best Airport Staff Award (SKYTRAX) and it was awarded 4-stars from SKYTRAX as well.

Austrian Airlines

When you're someone who travels a lot (like myself), I'm sure that you've experienced dreadful delays. These things happen and we understand that but it doesn't mean it's not frustrating.

Sherif Sedhom, an account manager at Lufthansa Group, let us in on how Austrian Airlines has stepped up its game to cut down delay times. They’re now using drones for hangars. Drones finish the job quickly so that your aircraft can go up in the air where it belongs.

Looking to earn more with Austrian Airlines? Check out their Experts Challenge for travel agents.

It's the 250th anniversary of Beethoven and Vienna is ready for your arrival Sherif Sedhom

Air Canada

Did you know that Air Canada has year round non-stop service from Toronto to Vienna? Well, they do! Sabina Steffensen, the National Manager of Specialty Sales for Air Canada let us know that Vienna is actually Europe's most popular city for meetings and conventions.

What does this mean?

A special offer form Air Canada, of course!

It's the 250th anniversary of Beethoven and Vienna is ready for your arrival Sabina Steffensen

Meeting and Conventions Offer

When you register your event with Air Canada using their instant online registration, you'll enjoy:

• Special discounted fares (10pax+)
• Instant online registration
• Easy online reservation process for your attendees
• Online bookings anywhere in the world which are tracked by sending your code to meetings.events@aircanada.ca
• Travel up-to 7 days prior to (and after) the event dates

Travellers can enjoy the superior comfort of their Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, featuring Signature, Premium, Economy, and Economy class services. This includes daily service in the summer and 5/week service in the winter.

The Finale

The night was not over without a special surprise that Armando had been teasing throughout the evening. It was a pleasant surprise indeed as we enjoyed an incredible performance from the string quartet of Beethoven while a lovely lady performed his love letter in spoken word.

It was an elegant way to top off a luxurious evening.