International demand for research material increased considerably in 2023. The Vienna Tourist Board’s international media activities contributed to a total of 3,000 media reports worldwide, which is the equivalent of around eight articles published on Vienna every day. The media work generated a total of around 1.3 billion contacts in 2023, which corresponds to a year-on-year jump of around 77%. Germany (500 million), followed by the USA (342 million) and the UK (281 million) were the highest-reach markets. The individual support granted to around 600 media representatives in Vienna itself (up 17%) was a significant factor behind the Vienna Tourist Board’s PR successes during the year. Stand-out publications in 2023 included: “36 Hours – Vienna” (New York Times), “The 'colossal failure' that gave birth to the world's 'most liveable' city” (The Telegraph), “Viene desde el agua” (Condé Nast Traveler Spain) and “Vienna Day and Night” (Cosmopolitan South Korea). The city’s inclusion in the New York Times’ list of 52 Places to Go, which is the most influential travel ranking in the USA, was among the other notable outcomes of Vienna’s media work.

International Film Productions Lift Vienna’s Visitor Economy

The Vienna Film Incentive – a EUR 2 million international film fund backed by the Vienna Tourist Board – was launched in 2022. In its first year, the program’s funding highlights included EUR 217,000 for eight-episode Netflix series The Recruit. Released in December 2022, the series was filmed in Los Angeles and Montreal as well as on Vienna's showpiece Ringstrasse boulevard, outside the Vienna State Opera House and around the Danube Canal. The second film production to be backed by the Vienna Film Incentive was another eight-part Netflix series: Crooks by Viennese filmmaker Marvin Kren, which received around EUR 386,000 and was released in April 2024. Locations for the shoot included Berlin and Marseille as well as Café Engländer, the Ringstrasse and Tiefer Graben in Vienna.