Austria is a country with a zest for life. The calendar is full of world class festivals and every day is a celebration, whether at a Viennese coffee house or up in the Tirolean Alps. In addition, there's a great passion for tradition, visible across Austria's captivating sights and exhibitions.

Music and culture by the lake
Legendary festivals, unique exhibitions, modern architecture and delightful landscapes. The Bodensee-Vorarlberg region with the towns of Bregenz, Dornbirn, Hohenems and Feldkirch has it all. Here, poets and thinkers, artists and performers, locals and visitors all find inspiration from the Lake Constance landscape. At the Bregenz Festival, the world's largest floating stage plays host to spectacular productions every year against the backdrop of the majestic Alps. The festival opens its doors for the 70th season on 22nd July with Puccini's Turandot, including "Nessun Dorma" - one of the most famous of all arias.

50 years of the Sound of Music
The much-loved Sound of Music, based on the life of the Austrian von Trapp family, rings in 50 years in 2015 with a host of special productions and events. Having won 5 Academy Awards, the film's legacy is perhaps best measured by its continuing popularity across generations and the visitor interest in Salzburg where filming took place. One event not to be missed is the Salzburg City Tourist Board's grand Sound of Music Gala at the Felsenreitschule on 17th October. Produced by the Salzburger Landestheater, the audience can look forward to performances from the musical itself and surprise appearances by guests whose lives have been shaped in some way by the Sound of Music.

New wings for the Austrian National Tourist Office London
Whilst Herwig Kolzer heads to Amsterdam to fill the position as region manager of Northern/Western Europe from early August, the reins have been handed over to new driving force Ralph Strampfer, previously brand manager for Red Bull UK. Strampfer takes over where Kolzer left off - successfully promoting Austria to the British market over the last six years, attracting almost one million annual visitors from the UK, contributing strongly to building Austria as a leading holiday brand. Kolzer looks forward to his continued responsibilities for the UK as region manager, as well as his new challenges as forerunner for Austria's second most important tourism market. "It has been a pleasure working and promoting Austria with you and I wish Ralph all the best for his new position," commented Kolzer.

Find out more about Austria's cultural offerings at: www.austria.info/culture

See the full Bregenz Festival programme at: www.bregenzerfestspiele.at/en

Book tickets for the Sound of Music Gala at: http://www.salzburg.info/en/art_culture/sound_of_music

For press enquiries please contact:

Anna Cummins
PR Manager
Austrian National Tourist Office UK
Tel: 0207 440 3835
Email: anna.cummins@austria.info
newsroom-uk.austria.info

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