Establishing Best of Wachau through sustainable quality assurance, digitalisation and marketing measures

Further development of the Best of Wachau quality campaign © Rita Newman
Further development of the Best of Wachau quality campaign © Rita Newman

The quality campaign “Best of Wachau” comprises 53 businesses that act as a regional figurehead for marketing the destination. Within the scope of this project, the high standard of the businesses should be maintained or improved, especially in the area of online marketing. Further measures are intended to provide support with the search for employees and to boost customer loyalty.

The quality campaign “Best of Wachau”, which currently covers 53 businesses across the region, was established in March 2012. A network for supporting these companies had already been built up during the preceding projects. New aspects are now being added.

This project focuses on the following:

  • Announced company visits to inspect the Best of Wachau regional criteria in order to maintain the high standard of quality and, if necessary, to further improve it.
  • Focal point consultations on “digital communication and online presence”
    Expert consulting takes place based on an analysis of the companies’ online presence. This is intended to improve the quality of the business websites. In addition, focal point consulting is offered on topics such as social media, storytelling, etc.
  • Qualification measures on the topics “strategic employee search”, “time and self-management”, ...
    New employees should be familiarised with the Best of Wachau quality promise by attending employee conferences. A specialist excursion for owners and employees to the World Heritage site “Oberes Mittelrheintal” (Upper Middle Rhine Valley) creates space for professional exchange.
  • Digital measures for advertising the destination online
    An authentic, multimedia experience can help influence the decision to buy and boost the ranking in search engines. As a result, high-quality videos of the partners’ companies will be produced and used to optimise online advertising of the destination and for the companies’ own websites.
  • Customer loyalty programme Goldclub and marketing measures
    The “Best of Wachau Goldclub” already provides a bonus scheme that offers individual guests an incentive to stay in the region for more than 3 nights. This system should be advertised regionally and nationwide. The Goldclub should also have an international presence. The core markets here are Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
  • Cross-marketing within the Best of Wachau partners
    The Best of Wachau partners should set up a recommendation board in a central location in order to draw their guests’ attention to the other Best of Wachau partners.

This project will further develop the Best of Wachau brand, allow for greater business networking and will further expand the marketing at home and abroad.

Discussed in the project selection committee: 21.11.2018
Project promoter: Destination Donau Niederösterreich Tourismus GmbH
Funding level: 70%
Project duration: 01.01.2019 – 28.02.2021
Supported by the federal province and the European Union (LEADER).

created on 29.11.2019