Florian Van der Bellen
Florian Van der Bellen grew up in the Tyrolean Alps, Berlin and Vienna.
He studied Tourism at the Innsbruck School of Tourism (Austria) and has a Master's degree in Advanced Business Management from the Vienna University of Economics.
Florian rose from a hotel receptionist to hotel, cruise and Tyrolean Tourism Association director. In the latter role he has received a large number of international tourism accessibility awards, such as the prestigious EDEN (European Destinations of Excellence) award from the European Commission, the Tirol Touristica award, The Alps award (top 5 Alpine destinations) and second place in the international responsible tourism awards.
Florian is a much sought-after speaker at international conferences and is currently focused on the Caucasus region, especially Georgia, which he considers his second home.
In 2014, he founded Van der Bellen Business and Tourism Consulting in the Austrian Tyrol.
In 2018, Van der Bellen International LLC was added in Tbilisi, Georgia.
A Van der Bellen International office will open in Tulcea, Romania in 2020.
Synopsis:
«"Sustainable tourism", "accessible tourism", "inclusive tourism", "tourism for all" are quite common concepts nowadays, but what do they really mean for the tourism sector?
They have nothing to do with attracting customers that no one wants. Nor with rebuilding everything to comply with anti-discrimination laws.
They are about convenience, getting customers to stay longer, improving safety and health, attracting families with young children, and making a lot of money by satisfying a huge demand that has not yet been met.
Florian will show some successful examples of implementing accessibility in mountain regions (he was the director of Kaunertal Tourism and won the European Commission's EDEN award in 2013), and will also explain how some simple improvements can be carried out in all tourist destinations.
