Vienna Christ Child Market: 20 Years of Ringing Tills

The famous Vienna Christkindlmarkt opened on the 12th of November. For the Viennese, the event plays a prominent role much like the Oktoberfest does for the Munich population. Once again this year, three million guests are expected to visit the festively decorated Viennese town hall square. With such large numbers of visitors, it’s no wonder that city officials referred to the significant economic impact the pre-holiday amusement has on the Austrian capital: “Since the introduction of the Viennese Advent festivities in 1986, the number of overnight stays in the city during November and December have continually increased. During the same period last year, roughly 1.3 million overnight stays were booked. That’s about twice the amount we had in 1985 – the last year without a Christmas market. The Viennese Advent festivities contribute significantly to the safeguarding of approximately 30,000 jobs in the hotel and gastronomy sector. The tax revenue generated by the vitalisation of Vienna tourism and the turnover of the market amount to an estimated 40 million euros alone,” as Dr Sepp Rieder, Deputy Mayor of Vienna and Councillor for Finance and Economy, explained.

By the way: the city of Vienna finances the Advent festivities with a bit over one million euros, and the Federal Economic Chamber contributes another 240,000 euros. You can find more information on the Christ Child Market at www.christkindlmarkt.at. (eap)