„WELCOME2VILLACH“: AN INDUSTRY AND TOURISM INITIATIVE CONNTECTS THE BEST MINDS IN VILLACH

The “welcome2villach” initiative, launched in 2017, has entered a new phase. The new website, new partners from research and development, and the affirmation that industry and tourism now more than ever must work together professionally will be crucial factors for attracting businesses in the coming years.

"WELCOME2VILLACH" - AN ABSOLUTE SUCCESS STORY

“‘welcome2villach’, supported by our city and partners from industry and tourism, has developed into an absolute success story and work on it should continue swiftly,” says Mayor Günther Albel emphatically. The goal of “welcome2villach” is to present the region in the best possible way on an international level as a high-quality place to live and work, including in terms of work-life balance, and as having a fantastic geographical location and many regional advantages.

VILLACH - A DREAM DESTINATION FOR EXPATS

According to the German news magazine “Focus”, Villach ranks among the most popular cities in the world for expats. For qualified and skilled professionals, it is not only the attractive employers that make a difference, but also the high quality of life, a clean and unspoiled environment, and the endless possibilities for individual recreational activities. Around these issues, the interests of industry and tourism merge. “With this platform we have a tool with which we can speak directly to the most highly-trained international specialists. In one place we can show them the attractive “whole package” of Villach as a place to live and work,” points out Oliver Heinrich, chief financial officer (CFO) of Infineon Technologies Austria, as spokesperson for the group of nine Villach industrial partner companies.

VILLACH: A MARKETPLACE FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND TOURISM

Cross-sector marketing of Villach as an outstanding business location plays an important and future-oriented role, particularly in times as challenging as these. The goal is to retain existing companies and qualified employees and to attract new businesses to the Villach region. Marketing this region professionally - and of course also multilingually - as an economic hub should bring even more, and urgently needed, highly-qualified international immigrants and their families, as well as new visitors, to Villach. “Villach, with its international companies and high-quality hospitality providers, is an excellent marketplace for advanced technology and tourism. Many of the new Villach residents tell their families and acquaintances about the many great advantages of their new home, and in this way are valuable ‘brand ambassadors,’ and get a lot of visitors,” says Georg Overs, director of Region Villach Tourismus GmbH.

RESEARCH INSTITUTES ALSO SUPPORT THE INITIATIVE

In the face of demographic change, the marketing revolution that was sparked primarily by the internet, as well as the still-unforeseeable consequences of the pandemic, it is now more important than ever to cooperate and to make use of all new possibilities. With the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Silicon Austria Labs, and Silicon Alps, high-caliber, locally-established research institutions also support a large-scale offensive to market the region as a world-class economic location.