KITZBÜHEL, May 26, 2018
About 60 days ahead of the start of the 2018 Generali Open, the ATP 250 clay-court tournament in Kitzbühel continues to write positive headlines, as ticket sales are in full swing. The run on the new premium seats on Center Court, where drinks and snacks are served for the first time, as well as the reserved seats of category A is particularly great on weekends.
“You need to be pretty fast,” tournament director Alexander Antonitsch believes. One of the reasons for this might be the return of Austria’s number one, Dominic Thiem: “The anticipation for Dominic is huge, it is unbelievable what kind of tennis boom Austria is currently experiencing. We can also feel it in Kitzbühel,” says Antonitsch.
Increasing tourist and economic impact of the Generali Open in the region
The euphoria is not only palpable, but also measurable. A study of the University of Applied Science in Kufstein examined the economic and touristic effects of the Kitzbühel tennis tournament for the region with some interesting results:
“As the second largest event taking place in Kitzbühel, it was important for us to know what influence the Generali Open has on the region and how satisfied the guests are with our tournament,” organizer Herbert Günther says. For comparison, data from 2012 were used.
The tourism added value of Kitzbühel’s biggest summer event is now 8.5 million euros. About 50,000 visitors come to the area, of which around three-quarters the Generali Open Kitzbühel is the main travel decision to visit Kitzbühel.
15 per cent of the guests get in touch with the region for the first time due to the tournament. Spectators of the Generali Open have also become much younger. In particular the group between 21 and 30 years has increased significantly with an increase of almost 20 percent.
The local hotel and catering industry can also look forward to the summer event, which will take place from 28th July to 4th August: on average, visitors will stay for at least four nights and 80 per cent will spend the night in a hotel or other parts of the commercial hospitality industry.
For many years now, the organizers Herbert Günther and Markus Bodner as well as tournament director Alexander Antonitsch have been trying to offer the fans a colorful program of side-events: Motto days for Kids as well as a special Ladies Day, the tennis village, the food court and other events where you can be very close to the stars.
“Last year, 95 per cent of visitors stated that they would recommend the Generali Open Kitzbühel, which is an excellent number for a year without Dominic Thiem competing in the tournament. This fills us with pride,” Günther and Bodner commented.
