THE DANUBE - A RIVER'S LURE

The Danube Tourist Commission

Despite differing economic and political systems, seven of the then eight states along the Danube joined together in 1970 to form a tourism marketing association. The aim which united them was to make the Danube region-defined as a seventy-kilometer (forty three-mile) wide band along both banks of the great river-better known internationally and to promote tourism in the area. In 1998 the Danube Tourist Commission extended its activities to include the Main-Danube Canal.

The Danube Tourist Commission was founded at a time when no one could foresee the fall of the Iron Curtain, and it can thus justly claim to be the first tourism organization in the world to have spanned the great political and ideological divide. Today member countries can look back on over thirty years' experience of working together in a remarkably unbureaucratic manner.

Today the Danube Tourist Commission brings together countries with such varied histories as Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia and Romania. Since 2007 the Republic of Moldova is participating as observer. Ukraine is currently not member of the Danube Tourist Commission.

Bulgaria, pursuant to the unanimous resolution adopted by the General Meeting on 19 June 2007 in Vienna, has been expelled from membership of the Danube Tourist Commission because Bulgaria did not fulfil her obligations as member.

Casinos Austria AG; the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, the Romanian tour operators Karpaten Turism and Prestige Tours International as well as the Belgrade Chamber of Economy, the Danube Forum Novi Sad-Vojvodina, the Port of Belgrade, the Austrian shipping company GTA-SKY-WAYS and Intercruise Shoreside & Port Services (former all4ships) NL, and Avalon Waterways Globus Travel Services S.A from Switzerland participate in the Commission's work as a supporting member.

The Danube Tourist Commission also has endeavored to work together with important

EU bodies, regional and national Danube organizations. As part of these activities mutual membership relations were established in 2004 with the

International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR),

• Institute for the Danube and Central Europe (IDM),
• Danube Co-operation Process

and the

• Working Community of Danubian Regions (ARGE Donauländer)

Close collaboration was also maintained with

• EU Corridor VII (Danube)/Tina Vienna Transport Strategies and the association
• "The Route of Emperors and Kings - Regensburg to Budapest."

The Danube Tourist Commission is also member of the UNESCO working group Vienna.

The Danube Tourist Commission is organized officially as an association (ZVR # 347 166 436.) Member states are represented by their national tourism organizations. They are supported in their work by supporting members. The commission is financed by membership dues.

President of the Danube Tourist Commission since 1996 has been Gerhard Skoff of Casinos Austria. The president is assisted by two deputies, Simion Giurca of the Romanian Tourism Office in Vienna and Dagmar Oegg of the Austrian National Tourist Office in Vienna, who together comprise the managing board.

The offices of the secretary general headed by Ursula Deutsch are located in Vienna at

Floragasse 7/701, A-1040 Vienna, Tel. +43/1/23 00013/107 und 108, Fax  +43/1/23 000 13/550; e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it            

On October 7^th 2005 the Novi Sad pontoon bridge has finally been dismantled, giving again free passage to cruises through the Iron Gates and as far as the Danube delta.

In 2002, about 10,000 passengers travelled on such cruises, whilst a total of 119,000 guests were recorded on cruise liners between Passau and Budapest. In 2003 the number rose to 45,000 passengers on Delta cruises, and to 130,000 cruise passengers between Passau and Budapest. By October 2004 some 43,000 passengers called at Belgrade, 22,000 at Novi Sad.

In 2004, over 90 cruise liners carrying approx. 150,000 passengers plied the Danube. In the 2005 season, 100 cruise ships sailed the river, in 2007 105 ships were counted, in 2008 109 ships carried 214.000 passengers between Passau and Budapest.

The activities of the Danube Tourist Commission range from the creation of a uniform corporate identity symbolized by the distinctive blue Danube wave logo to the production of brochures and media work. The latter includes the monthly publication of the "Danube Press Service" in German and English. Excursion and Cruise ship schedules, Yacht guide, and a compendium of Annual Danube Festivals & Events and "Danube Cycling and Hiking Route" are also produced.

The Danube Tourist Commission is present on the worldwide web at www.danube-river.org.

The Danube River Sales Guide, whose production was sponsored by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Traffic, Innovation and Technology bmvit, is available online at http://www.danubesalesmanual.com/

The sales manual is the first international on-line sales guide providing information on cultural events, places of interest and tourism services in 180 places along the Danube in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia and Romania.

The Danube Tourist Commission selected "The Danube and Europe" as its annual theme for 2002, "Man, Myths and Tales" for 2003, "The Musical Danube" for 2004, "Danube Landscapes" for 2005; "Danube delights" for 2006,"Royal Danube - River of Kings" for 2007, 2008 "The Danube Moves" and for 2009-2010 "The Romans on the Danube".

A centrepiece of the Danube Tourist Commission's activities since 1982 has been the biennial Danube Travel Mart. Since 2007, the event-renamed Danube Salon- is held in conjunction with the new actb - Austrian and Central European Business (former atb) in Vienna: 25-27 Jan 2009.

In 1997, the Danube Tourist Commission held its first Danube Shipping Conference in Linz, where representatives of shipping companies, cruise operators, and tourist industry professionals had the opportunity to meet and exchange views. This successful initiative was followed up by meetings in Györ, Baden near Vienna, Bratislava, Passau, Belgrade, Vienna, Budapest, Linz, Krems and Neuburg upon Danube, Germany hosted the 1st Danube Cycling Route-Conference 2007.  In 2008 Serbia hosted both conferences.

The Danube Tourist Commission cooperated closely with ICPDR/International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River in organizing celebrations along the whole river for the first

Danube Day on June 29, 2004. Danube Day is observed annually in the last week of June.

To mark the start of the shipping season, Danube Navigation Day is celebrated with cross-border festivities every year on the last Sunday in April: 26 April 2009. The Danube Tourist Commission helped to develop this marketing event together with other organizations.