In a live primetime broadcast on 25 October, viewers of ORF’s “9 Plätze – 9 Schätze” crowned the historic Mariazellerbahn the most beautiful spot in Austria. The next morning—26 October—tourism boards woke up to a flood of booking enquiries for the 84-kilometre narrow-gauge line that winds through Lower Austria’s alpine foothills toward the pilgrimage town of Mariazell.
The regional operator NÖVOG is capitalising on the publicity by adding extra Panorama carriages and extending the autumn timetable to 17 November. A new ‘Business & Scenic’ group package offers Vienna-based companies the option to charter a carriage for team off-sites, including onboard Wi-Fi and catering.
Local businesses anticipate a shoulder-season revenue bump. Hotelier surveys show occupancy in the Pielachtal region up 12 percent year-on-year for the first two weeks of November. Mobility experts note that scenic rail corridors like the Mariazellerbahn play a growing role in sustainable incentive travel, a niche segment multinational firms increasingly use to meet ESG targets.
The regional operator NÖVOG is capitalising on the publicity by adding extra Panorama carriages and extending the autumn timetable to 17 November. A new ‘Business & Scenic’ group package offers Vienna-based companies the option to charter a carriage for team off-sites, including onboard Wi-Fi and catering.
Local businesses anticipate a shoulder-season revenue bump. Hotelier surveys show occupancy in the Pielachtal region up 12 percent year-on-year for the first two weeks of November. Mobility experts note that scenic rail corridors like the Mariazellerbahn play a growing role in sustainable incentive travel, a niche segment multinational firms increasingly use to meet ESG targets.
