Lake Neusiedl tourism network model region

The project “Lake Neusiedl tourism network model region” was exemplary for the continuing development of Austrian tourism. This project has started a process with the fundamental aim of significantly improving the touristic appeal and employment structure of the region by creating a well-grounded model for a modern form of touristic development and brand establishment which is relevant also for other touristic regions in Austria.

The “tourism network model region” project was special because suggestions for change were made from the basis, that is, they were not imposed from the outside. Therefore the level of identification with subsequent measures and the probability of success are generally high. Effectively, the method is adapted to the needs of the people concerned.

All people concerned were involved in the regional development, among them the regional branch offices of the Austrian public employment service (AMS), local tourism associations, hotels and restaurants, touristic and tourism-affiliated organisations, carriers, the chambers of economy and agriculture and the winegrowers’ associations.

The following list provides above all the employment market policy priorities which were collected and systematised by L&R Social Research and which have meanwhile been forwarded to the Burgenland employment service for further use.

These employment market policy priorities can be summarised as follows:

• Workshops: train the trainer (tourism ethos)
• Landscape management/cycling paths/hiking trails: upgrading existing employ-ment in the communities (new occupational field: image management)
• St. Martins Spa: qualification for medical massage therapists as well as cosmetics and foot care
• Employment project “guest and enterprise relation managers” (pilot project on the new occupational field of information management)
• Needs-based language courses (pilot project)
• Support of tourism school graduates (innovative entry support)