Admont Abbey Library makes Styria a popular holiday destination
The monastery library in Admont inspires fans worldwide on the Internet. This is not only bearing fruit in Admont. Managing Director Michael Feiertag, Steirische Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, emphasises: "The Admont Abbey Library makes a decisive contribution to the attractiveness of Styria as a holiday destination.
At the beginning of the year, a report by the French press agency AFD triggered a veritable avalanche of reports about Admont Abbey Library. The result: "In January, we had a reach of 600 million people and were represented in more than 45 countries worldwide," says a delighted Mario Brandmüller, Head of Tourism, PR and Culture at Admont Benedictine Abbey.
At the same time, the Microsoft web portal (msn.com) even voted the Abbey Library in Admont as the number one most beautiful library in the world. Managing Director Michael Feiertag, Steirische Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, now also emphasises that the global coverage is not only boosting the number of visitors to the Admont Abbey Museum - in April 2023 alone, admissions increased by around 30 percent compared to pre-corona times - but is also giving Styria as a whole a boost: "The Admont Abbey Library can make a decisive contribution to the attractiveness of Styria as a holiday destination and it already does."
ONLINE TOURS INCREASE WILLINGNESS TO TRAVEL
Looking at global trends, it is "absolutely important to create digital distribution and a digital offering", says Feiertag. After all, practice clearly shows that, in addition to the sophisticated marketing strategy that has helped the Abbey Museum to become known worldwide, the range of digital tours also makes a significant contribution to getting people excited about a visit to Admont, as Feiertag emphasises. With its innovative measures, the Admont Abbey Museum is therefore one of those leading tourism businesses "that also ensure that Styria is at the absolute top", as the Managing Director of Steirische Tourismus und Marketing GmbH emphasises. Mario Brandmüller, Head of PR at Admont Abbey, also emphasises the close connection to Styria in the orientation of marketing strategies: "It is absolutely important to us that Admont Abbey Library is always associated with Styria and Austria. This is of great importance in all our activities and is therefore also reflected in global reporting."
FORECAST INCREASE IN OVERNIGHT STAYS
"The growing level of awareness has also led to a massive increase in enquiries from major tour operators from abroad. This is an absolute gain for the entire Gesäuse region, as the number of overnight stays can also be sustainably increased," opens Mario Brandmüller. Feiertag also emphasises that the Abbey Library is therefore "an absolute hobbyhorse in tourism" for the whole of Styria. It is not for nothing that the "cultural offer far away from the Graz conurbation enjoys an absolute world reputation", as the Styria tourism boss emphasises.
ANNIVERSARY YEAR WITH MANY HIGHLIGHTS
For the monks who work at Admont Benedictine Abbey, however, the Abbey Museum is not just for tourism: "We also see our extensive collection, which we have amassed over the centuries, as an essential instrument for communicating our faith," emphasises Father Michael Robitschko, Cultural Officer at Admont Benedictine Abbey. This extensive collection includes around 200,000 volumes, which are stored in the abbey library and archives, as well as natural history exhibits and works of art from the Middle Ages to the present day. "As the oldest monastery in Styria, we are naturally delighted that there is so much interest in our museum. We will therefore be relaunching our museum to mark our 950th anniversary, which we will be celebrating next year." In addition to a wide range of tourist attractions, there will be other highlights in the anniversary year. These include numerous special church services, cultural events and scientific conferences.
