02:29

More Austrian Tourists

Five hundred from Vienna visit Rosamund Pilcher's region

Exeter Airport will welcome another five hundred and fifty Austrian tourists later this year following a deal with travel company Raiffeisen Reisen to operate three Lauda Air flights from Vienna in September and October.

This year’s boost to tourism follows the success of the 2009 initiative when five hundred travellers from Austria, with an interested in the region’s landscapes and historic buildings which were featured in TV programmes based on the books of Rosamund Pilcher, enjoyed seven day special escorted holidays in Devon and Cornwall. 

Jamie Christon, Managing Director at Exeter Airport said: “The adapted Rosamund Pilcher romances draw an average 6 million viewers every week and the writer has sold 60 million books, so the potential to further develop of this inbound tourism market is enormous.”

The Austrian tourists, who will arrive on 22 and 29 September and 6 October, will have the opportunity to enjoy the scenery which inspired the Cornish writer’s stories and see the venues used by the television crew from the Munich-based FFP New Media company.

Rosie Bates General Manager, Visit Devon said: “The European television exposure for the area has brought about a flurry of new visitor interest and the announcement of year’s flights is fantastic news for the South West.