Salzburg is a globally renowned travel destination, celebrated for its unique features such as Mozart, the Salzburg Festival, "The Sound of Music," and its impressive UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Town. The rapid growth of international travel, affordable flight connections, and fast-paced consumer trends have led to a significant increase in overnight stays and day visitors to Salzburg in recent years.
Data-Driven Management of Visitor Flows in the Old Town
AIT, in collaboration with Salzburg Research, is working on behalf of the city’s tourism organization and the Old Town Association on a project to manage visitor flows in Salzburg’s Old Town using data-driven approaches. The goal is to develop a monitoring system for movement patterns, along with the simulation and evaluation of incentive systems for targeted visitor management measures.
Based on data analysis, planning, and evaluation, the project aims to implement sustainable visitor management in Salzburg to improve the comfort of both visitors and residents while simultaneously increasing economic value creation. This is achieved without compromising the city’s quality of life or economic development. Particular attention is given to the interests of various stakeholders, with active involvement of the affected population in the planning process.
Balancing Tourism, Resident Comfort, and Environmental Protection
By utilizing various data sources such as visitor numbers, traffic data, booking statistics, and resident feedback, a detailed picture of visitor flows and behaviors is created. Based on these insights, measures are developed that can be implemented both in the short and long term. The needs of visitors, residents, and local businesses are equally considered. A particular focus is placed on sustainability and protecting Salzburg’s natural and cultural resources. Solutions are designed to minimize the environmental impact of tourism while ensuring a positive visitor experience. The visitor management project seeks to strike a balance between tourism development, resident comfort, and environmental protection. Through the active involvement of the affected population and data-driven planning, a sustainable and forward-looking tourism strategy is being developed to preserve Salzburg as an attractive destination for visitors from all over the world.
Key Findings and Results
Analysis and Forecast Tool
As part of the research project, a tool was developed to analyze and forecast visitor flows. This tool utilizes various data sources such as the Salzburg Card, mobile network data, parking garage data, guided tour itineraries, and visitor counts to create a simulation of visitor flows. Future developments and measures to be evaluated are incorporated into the simulation. The evaluation is based on key indicators such as visitor density and the Level of Service (LoS) to assess the quality of stay and the total number of visitors.
Identification of Critical Points
Quantitative analysis of critical points in Salzburg’s Old Town revealed particularly high visitor densities at the Marko-Feingold-Steg and Hagenauerplatz.
Traffic Analysis
Additionally, a study was conducted on entry routes into the city center and parking conditions. Peak times and bottlenecks, particularly in parking garages, were identified.
Catalog of Measures
Based on the nudging approach, Salzburg Research developed visitor management measures grouped into four categories and discussed:
- Infrastructure improvements in public spaces.
- Management of (travel) groups.
- Digital support for tourists.
- Visitor flow control through museums and attractions.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The project results feed into the overarching strategy process “Salzburg Vision 2040” to create synergies as efficiently and effectively as possible. The developed forecasting tool provides valuable insights, enables data-driven decisions, and identifies areas requiring action.