The city of Salzburg presented its new tourism strategy “Vision Salzburg 2040” on Tuesday, placing an even stronger focus on culture. The city aims to position itself as one of the world’s top 10 cultural cities. A new aspect of the plan is that, alongside the interests of the tourism industry, the needs of local residents and visitors have been included. Despite ongoing concerns about overtourism, there will be no entry fees like those recently introduced in Venice.
“We want to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with cities like Vienna, Paris, and London,” said Beate Kassner, managing director of the city’s tourism agency TSG, during a press conference. Culture will be understood in a broad sense, encompassing fine arts, performing arts, urban art, and culinary culture. The city’s brand will also be revamped. If the Salzburg City Council approves the strategy on May 14, it will mark the start of implementing numerous measures and key projects.
Around 2,800 people—including residents, visitors, and representatives from business, science, culture, mobility, and administration—participated in shaping Vision 2040 over the past year. “Tourism is one of Salzburg’s most important economic sectors, providing many jobs,” emphasized Mayor Bernhard Auinger. However, with more than 3.1 million overnight stays and an estimated 7 to 9 million day visitors annually, tourism is not always welcomed without reservations.
A Strategy for Residents and Visitors Alike
The new strategy pays special attention to addressing potential conflicts with the local population. It follows a “Visitor Economy” approach, aiming to ensure that tourism projects benefit both visitors and residents. “Everything developed for tourists should also improve life for locals,” Auinger said, citing expanded public transport, cycling infrastructure, and the new bike-sharing system as examples. Quality is to take precedence over quantity, but Auinger stressed that quality is not tied to wealth: Salzburg remains open to all, not just high-income visitors.
“Visitor Economy” means tourism should drive the qualitative development of urban and regional living spaces, explained Peter Kowalsky from the tourism consultancy Project M. “Salzburg is already a strong brand, but we must also emphasize how tourism affects the residents’ quality of life.”
No Entry Fees, No “Disneyfication”
The strategy does not set numerical targets or visitor caps, nor will Salzburg introduce entry fees to the old town like Venice. “We do not want to create a Disneyland experience,” said Kowalsky. Instead, the city will work to spread visitor flows across different times and locations. The goal is to open new areas to tourists without losing untouched spaces for locals.
“We want to support neighborhoods that would benefit from tourist traffic,” Kowalsky said. However, simply adding directional signs is not enough—authentic experiences like visiting artists’ studios, the city library in Lehen, or the graffiti wall along the train tracks will be promoted instead of traditional sightseeing.
Preserving Retreat Spaces for Residents
Tourism should not expand into every part of the city, Kowalsky emphasized. “We must protect some areas,” he said. With Mönchsberg already heavily visited, there is no need to promote new attractions on Kapuzinerberg. Similarly, Mayor Auinger stated that Salzburg has no interest in turning the Salzachsee into a tourist hotspot.
Among nearly two dozen key projects planned are a new Sound of Music Museum in Hellbrunn, a “Salzburg Local Card” as a cultural bonus for residents, digital city tours on progressive topics like contemporary culture, a winter light art festival, a new signage concept, and a plan to focus on quality rather than expansion in accommodations.
