Linz Tourismus

What Linz Tourismus does

Linz Tourismus, formally Tourismusverband Linz, is a public-law corporation (Körperschaft öffentlichen Rechts) established under § 4 of the Upper Austrian Tourism Act 1990 and operating under the supervision of the Amt der Oberösterreichischen Landesregierung. Headquartered at Adalbert-Stifter-Platz 2, Linz, Austria, the organization fulfills the statutory mandate of developing and implementing the tourism strategy for the city of Linz, conducting destination marketing, developing tourism products, and providing services to visitors and member businesses. Its core offerings include tourist information services, the Linz-Card and Linz-Kulturcard-365 city card programs, the Visit-Linz-App mobile application with AR features and gamification, the Linz-Wochenende weekend package starting at €144 per person in a double room, the Häppchen-Pass culinary passport, an extensive event calendar, group travel coordination, and MICE services under Tagungen und Kongresse.

The underlying technology stack combines the feratel DESKLINE online booking and reservation system (operated under an Art. 28 DSGVO agreement with feratel Media Technologies AG) for hotel and experience reservations, EU-hosted Matomo web analytics for GDPR-compliant visitor behavior analysis, Google Maps for map rendering, Google ARCore for augmented reality features in the Visit-Linz-App, and the Adform and Facebook tracking pixels for marketing measurement. Distribution occurs through the linztourismus.at web shop, a daily-operating Tourist Information office at Hauptplatz 1 (Altes Rathaus), the Visit-Linz-App, and partner sales points including hotels and museums. Anchor cultural events — Ars Electronica Festival, Brucknerfest, Linzer Klangwolken, Crossing Europe Film Festival, World Choir Games 2027, and Linzer Pflasterspektakel — function as recurring demand drivers.

Linz Tourismus serves individual leisure tourists (primary), business event planners, and group travel organizers as end customers, while deriving the bulk of its operating budget from tourism levies and membership fees paid by member businesses within its statutory jurisdiction, supplemented by city card sales, booking commissions on Linz-Wochenende reservations, brochure and Linz-verändert magazine distribution, and Häppchen-Pass sales. The organization is not privately owned, venture-backed, or publicly listed; it is governed by a supervisory board chaired by Dieter Recknagl with Marie-Louise Schnurpfeil serving as Tourism Director, and operates with 11–50 employees across Linz and the surrounding Upper Austrian region including Ansfelden and Kirchschlag.

Name

Linz Tourismus

Legal name

Tourismusverband Linz

Website

https://linztourismus.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Linz Tourismus (Tourismusverband Linz) is a public-law tourism corporation serving the city of Linz, Austria, providing tourist information, city cards (Linz-Card, Linz-Kulturcard-365), the Visit-Linz-App, event marketing, group travel, and MICE services to leisure visitors, group organizers, and business event planners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), All Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (561599), Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Inbound/Local Retail Travel Agencies (Destination Booking Offices) (THAKABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Destination & Activity Wholesalers (Attractions, Tours & Ticket Inventory) (THAKAJAF), Destination/Activity Booking Marketplaces (Tours & Tickets Aggregators) (THAKAAAH)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Tourism information services
• City card programs
• Convention bureau services
• Visitor information centers

Headquarters

HQ city

Linz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tourism Levy/Membership Fees: As a public law corporation (Körperschaft öffentlichen Rechts) under the Upper Austrian Tourism Act, the organization collects tourism levies from member businesses and operates with public funding. Members include tourism service providers, hotels, restaurants, and attractions.
2. City Card Sales: Revenue from sale of Linz-Card and Linz-Kulturcard-365, providing access to museums, attractions, and discounts at partner establishments. Cards available through Tourist Information, web shop, and partner sales points.
3. Booking Commissions: Commission revenue from mediating hotel bookings via the Linz-Wochenende (Linz Weekend) program. Acts as intermediary between visitors and hotels, with booking data processed through feratel DESKLINE.
4. Brochure/Publication Distribution: Revenue from distribution of promotional materials and the Linz-verändert magazine subscription service.
5. Häppchenpass Sales: Sales of culinary experience passes (Häppchen-Pass City and Häppchen-Pass Südbahnhofmarkt) enabling discounted food experiences at participating restaurants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tourismusverband Linz operates as the official destination marketing organization for Linz, providing visitor information, city card programs (Linz-Card and Linz-Kulturcard-365), mobile companion services via the Visit-Linz-App, weekend packages combining accommodation with city cards (Linz-Wochenende), culinary experience passports (Häppchen-Pass), guided city tours, and meeting and conference coordination. Core distribution happens through the physical Tourist Information office at Hauptplatz, the linztourismus.at web shop, and partner sales points, with feratel DESKLINE handling accommodation bookings as an intermediary.

Product overview

Linz Tourismus (Tourismusverband Linz) operates as a public tourism organization providing a comprehensive suite of visitor services centered around Linz, Austria. The core offering consists of tourist information services, city cards (Linz-Card and Linz-Kulturcard-365), the Visit-Linz-App mobile application, and various packaged experiences including the Linz-Wochenende weekend package and Häppchen-Pass culinary passport. Additional services include group travel coordination, meeting and conference services (Tagungen und Kongresse), an extensive event calendar, guided city tours, and the Linz-verändert-Magazin publication. The organization also provides digital services including newsletters and brochures, with some content auto-generated using AI assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Linz-Card: A city card offering free entry to participating museums and attractions, plus discounts at partner establishments throughout Linz.
• Linz-Kulturcard-365
• Visit-Linz-App
• Häppchenpass

Products and services

• Linz-Card A visitor city card offering free or discounted entry to museums and attractions, free public transportation, and discounts at partner establishments in Linz. Valid for consecutive days from the date of first use and sold at the Tourist Information office, online web shop, and partner sales points (hotels, museums, participating businesses). Designed for individual leisure tourists looking to maximize value from their stay.
• Linz-Kulturcard-365 An annual cultural subscription card granting 365 days of free access to participating museums and exclusive cultural events, with discounts at partner establishments. Comes with monthly email updates on cultural offerings and postal information materials. Aimed at local residents and frequent cultural visitors to Linz.
• Visit-Linz-App A mobile application for tourists and locals that provides location-based services, event listings, and curated recommendations for exploring Linz. Features a Play section with a points collection gamification system and augmented reality experiences powered by Google ARCore. Available for Android (Google Play Store).
• Häppchen-Pass A culinary experience passport offering small bites at participating restaurants in Linz. Available in two variants — Häppchen-Pass City for participating restaurants across Linz and Häppchen-Pass Südbahnhofmarkt for participating vendors at the Südbahnhofmarkt market. Targets food tourists and locals seeking curated tasting experiences at discounted rates.
• Linz-Wochenende (Weekend Package) A short-trip weekend package that bundles hotel accommodation with a 3-day Linz-Card. Pricing starts at 144 EUR per person in a double room for 3 days. Tourismusverband Linz acts as an intermediary between visitors and hotels, with booking data processed through the feratel DESKLINE system. Designed to convert short-stay demand into confirmed overnight bookings for partner hotels.
• Stadtführungen (Guided City Tours) A portfolio of guided tours in and around Linz including standard city tours, themed tours, Segway tours, and specialty experiences such as Kulinarik & Crime (combining culinary experiences with crime-themed storytelling). Targets leisure visitors, school groups, and tourists seeking curated local experiences.
• Gruppenreisen (Group Travel Services) Coordinated group travel services for schools, travel agencies, choirs, clubs, and associations visiting Linz. Includes group-rate reservations at hotels and museums, itinerary planning, and transportation coordination, supported by a specialist sales team.
• Tagungen und Kongresse (Meetings & Conferences) MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) services for corporate and association event organizers. Includes venue sourcing, accommodation block coordination, site inspection tours, and statistical participation in the Austrian Convention Bureau MIRA convention reporting program. Targets corporate and association meeting planners seeking to host business events in Linz.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• feratel Media Technologies AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides the DESKLINE online booking and reservation system used for processing hotel bookings, package reservations, and tourism service inquiries. Located at Maria-Theresien-Straße 8, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria. Data processing governed by Art. 28 DSGVO agreement.
• Austrian Convention Bureau (ACB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in the Austrian MIRA convention statistics program. Shares event data and company names for the nationwide meeting and conference statistics initiative.
• Rosa Elefant OGminorOthersExternal data protection officer (Datenschutzkoordinator: Andreas Nutz) providing GDPR compliance support and privacy咨询 services.
• Oberösterreich TourismuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional tourism marketing organization for Upper Austria. Cross-promotional partnership for destination marketing and regional visitor itineraries.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Innsbruck Tourismus: Tyrolean city DMO operating with a similar statutory mandate, Innsbruck Card city pass, group travel and MICE services, and digital + physical distribution. Directly comparable destination marketing mix for an Austrian city of similar scale.
• Tourismusverband Graz: Styrian capital's official tourism board with matching statutory role, Graz Card city pass, mobile app, and event-driven promotion. Same legal form (Tourismusverband) and same Austrian tourism-law operating model as Linz Tourismus.
• Oberösterreich Tourismus: Regional DMO for Upper Austria — same statutory law (Oö. Tourismus-Gesetz), explicit cross-promotion partner of Linz Tourismus. Comparable role one tier up (state vs. city) and a meaningful ecosystem counterparty.
• WienTourismus (Vienna Tourist Board): Austrian capital's official DMO operating under the same statutory framework. Closest comparable: provides tourist information, a city card (Vienna City Card/PASS), city tours, MICE services, and event promotion — the same mix of services Linz Tourismus delivers for a second-tier city.
• Salzburg Tourismus: Official tourism organization for Salzburg, Austria. Comparable mandate, scope (city + region), statutory funding model, city card (Salzburg Card), tourist information office, and event marketing role — a near-template peer to Linz Tourismus.

Regional players

• Schweiz Tourismus (Switzerland Tourism): National tourism board for Switzerland. Overlaps in destination marketing, content, and digital platforms, but operates at country scale rather than single-city — useful as a broader incumbent reference point.
• Tirol Werbung: State-level tourism marketing organization for Tyrol. Adjacent Austrian DMO operating a destination card (TirolCard) and broader regional marketing functions comparable in design though larger in scale.
• visitBerlin (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress): Official Berlin city DMO running the Berlin Welcome Card, tourist information, and MICE services. Comparable city-level mandate and product mix in a different geography.

Others

• feratel Media Technologies AG: Core technology partner providing the DESKLINE booking/reservation system that Linz Tourismus mediates against. Not a competitor but the closest infrastructure/ecosystem peer — useful for understanding platform leverage and pricing exposure.

Emerging players

• Vienna PASS / Vienna City Card operator: Vienna's flagship city-card bundle with 90+ attractions. Partial overlap with Linz's Linz-Card concept; useful peer for benchmarking city-card product packaging, pricing, and attraction aggregator economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/visitlinz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/linz-tourismus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Linz Tourismus