Young Talents Award

On the 2nd of May, 2023, top national and international decision-makers, tourism business partners, media representatives, industry experts and talented young people came together at the Austria Center Vienna as part of Austrian Tourism Day (ÖTT). So as to give these ‚Young Talents‘ and their innovative ideas space to develop, the Austrian National Tourist Office has organised an innovation competition in cooperation with the Austrian Society for Applied Research in the Tourism and Leisure Industry (ÖGAF).

© Jürg Christandl

Congratulations to the winners!

1st place: Team Destination Green - FH JOANNEUM
App with reward system to encourage guests to act and impart knowledge about sustainability with playful elements.

2nd place: Team FRANE - University of Applied Sciences Salzburg
Mixed Digital Twin (MDT) is a product idea that is an immersive (and multi-sensory - in the National Park) experience. Through VR in the visitor center, and mixed VR/AR experience at people's homes, the customer journey in the national parks can be experienced over and over again.

3rd place: Team mit Sinn - IMC Krems
"Summer with Sense" focuses on the alternative use of Austria's winter sports spaces. "Summer with Sense" is a universally applicable concept for offer development and knowledge transfer that involves all 5 senses and puts sustainability in the spotlight. The aim is to design responsible tourism offers that appeal to all senses - hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and feeling.

The topic: "Tourism and National Parks. The fine line between nature and the leisure economy."

Inspiration

The innovation competition is intended to give the future workforce of the tourism industry and their potential employers the chance to get to know each other better, exchange ideas, learn from and inspire one another.