Vorarlberg Card System - increasing tourist value

With the ticket technology of n-tree solutions' "DestiCard", Vorarlberg Card Systems, a division of Vorarlberg Tourismus GmbH, is breaking new ground in destination management. This innovative card solution opens way for totally new types of flexible options for marketing the region. The heart of this technology is the Internet. It provides tourism managers with an important tool to structure and compile dynamic offers.

The skilful art of packaging tourism offers provides added value for both quests and participating enterprises. Moreover, it means that event management becomes more professional, supporting and promoting synergies as well as strategic partnerships.

Conventional inclusive cards leave much to be desired in terms of comfort and performance. They consist of fixed services, it is very difficult to make changes. Therefore many tourist organisations decide to cover as many leisure destinations as possible with the issued cards. This results in unattractive, incomprehensible lists of the various choices. n-tree solutions on the contrary offers open cooperation. DestiCard is an internet-based card solution that provides flexible support to the cooperation between tourist organizations and leisure centres. The service partners decide if they want to enter a partnership or not and which rates they will charge on the nationwide sales platform.

Coordinated Offers

Studies such as T-MONA have shown that a wide range of attractive tourist offers are too little known to the guests - especially when outside of their own resort. On the other hand, guests these days tend to expect to be addressed individually. DestiCard supports this trend with the features of the Dynamic Packaging invoice.

The advantage of the new DestiCard solution is clearly its dynamics: offers can be put together conveniently. Instead of a long list of all activities that the Vorarlberg leisure industry services has on offer, the visitor has access to a synergy of information, specially prepared for his interests.
At a glance the guest can see the attractiveness of the Vorarlberg region.

"Dynamic Packaging" plays a crucial role in this: it is possible to add services and service partners to a card application that is already active and valid (e.g. V-CARD).

Christian Schützinger, Managing Director of Vorarlberg Tourism: "The idea is to make clear to visitors the variety of tourist offers out there. And to make event management simply more professional."

Guest-oriented, flexible and individual are the key attributes of this new tool!

V-CARD - one of the first performances 1 May sees the start of the V-CARD - the ticket for locals and guests to the region to explore the whole of Vorarlberg up to 31 October. For 45 Euros (adults, 22.50 Euros young persons) card holders can take advantage of a variety of tourist summer offers whereby they can visit a multitude of places once - from the Pfänder cable car in Bregenz to the inatura Dornbirn, from the Montafon museums to the swimming pools in the Bregenzerwald. Further card projects, including the Bregenz Festival and the Gym for Life Word Challenge 2009, are already in the making. Added value for guests The introduction of such a card means more convenience and greater flexibility for the guest. This uncomplicated, stress-free access to the attractions, public transport and other extra services on the card, meet the needs of a modern-day guest. The visitor loves to be treated as an individual and the card gives him the freedom to design his free time around his own needs and interests.

Strategic basis

The visitors are insufficiently aware of scope of experiences and the range of attractions that Vorarlberg has to offer. Many tourism operators present their guests excursion tips which relate to destinations solely within their localities. Attractions in neighbouring towns or the next valley are often ignored. It is all the more important to put all attractions into the limelight as this has a greater effect across the whole region. A combined effort is simply more effective. It raises brand value and the added value of a region increases the number of overnight stays, motivates visitors to return to the region and helps to gain new customers. Visitors and local people need to be made aware of events or places they are interested in.

Aims

Intensifying experiences and increasing the quality of stay
The card model draws people's attention to Vorarlberg and its attractions. Vorarlberg offers high quality leisure attractions on a range of themes and interests. The Vorarlberg card model provides the guest with easy and practical access to the attractions. It enriches the visitor's stay with a selection of leisure attractions and makes his stay unforgettable. This is particularly exciting if the reason for his stay has nothing or very little to do with Vorarlberg as a holiday region.

This was certainly the case at the Gymnaestrada 2007. Over 25,000 active participants from 56 nations and thousands of visitors were in Vorarlberg for the world's greatest gymnastics festival. Active participants were given the opportunity to purchase a package of services. This "Gymnaestrada leisure package" gave them entry to the following n-tree linked facilities:

››   Strandbad Bregenz ››   Kunsthaus Bregenz ››   Vorarlberger Landesmuseum, Bregenz ››   Pfänderbahn Bregenz ››   Strandbad Lochau ››   Strandbad Hard ››   Strandbad Lustenau ››   Stadtbad Dornbirn ››   Waldbad Enz, Dornbirn ››   Karrenseilbahn, Dornbirn ››   inatura Erlebnis Naturschau Dornbirn ››   Stadtmuseum Dornbirn ››   Kunstraum Dornbirn ››   Rolls Royce Museum, Dornbirn ››   Krippenmuseum Dornbirn ››   Jüdisches Museum Hohenems ››   Museum Stoffels Säge-Mühle, Hohenems ››   Erholungszentrum Rheinauen, Hohenems ››   Schattenburg Feldkirch ››   Erlebnis Waldbad Feldkirch ››   Schwimmbad Götzis ››   Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein ››   Landesmuseum Liechtenstein

The Gymnaestrada card allowed the participants to get to know the area and encouraged them to prolong their stay in Vorarlberg and revisit the country. In addition to the Gymnaestrada card, the visitor was able to purchase tickets for all the events through the n-tree ticket portal at www.v-ticket.at.

Boosting the added benefits
The Vorarlberg card model also accounts for taking advantage of the of the leisure operators and optimising the added benefits of the area. In addition it supports leisure operators with marketing concepts and communications.

Satisfying high quality target groups with a professional service
With the card model the visitor has the possibility of pre-planning his visit. Uncomplicated access to the destinations, transportation and similar services included on the card fulfill the needs of the modern guest.

Increasing the accommodation statistics with "dynamic packaging"
Vacation packages offer more than just "bed and breakfast". With the Vorarlberg card model the visitor has a pleasant manageable Instrument to simply select the individual components of his vacation and just make a one-time payment. The card model already plays a role in the planning of vacations.

Steering the "Vorarlberg" label
The Vorarlberg label is made more tangible by the themed linking in the Vorarlberg card model.The card draws attention to leisure attractions that are particularly typical for the area and raises their profile.

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Picture: Pfänderbahn AG, Fotograf Otmar Heidegger