Verena Brandtner-Pastuszyn - Hotel Henriette

Introduction

Verena Brandtner-Pastuszyn - forward thinker and owner of Henriette City Hotel Vienna - lives with her husband Georg, their sons, four chickens, two tortoises, a cat, and six fruit trees just outside the gates of Vienna.

Raised on a farm in the wine region, she spent years in PR after her studies and operated her parents' wine tavern. Since 2016, she has run Hotel Henriette with her husband, which he took over from his parents in 2008 (then known as Hotel Capri). In 2018, the business dedicated itself to the economy for the common good and has since set new standards in sustainability.

There are many visions for sustainable tourism. But what determines whether they lead to concrete actions, priorities, and measurable impacts? Between strategic aspirations and actual implementation lie political decisions, institutional frameworks, and the ability to align diverse interests in a common direction.

This topic block explores the role of strategies as a translation from long-term future visions to concrete actions. The focus is on how sustainability goals can be integrated into governance structures, financing mechanisms, and corporate decisions. What prerequisites are necessary for visions to have an impact? Where do conflicting goals arise between competitiveness, resilience, and sustainability? And how can strategic ambitions at the European, national, and corporate levels be connected?

International perspectives meet experiences from politics, destination management, and corporate tourism practice and are further deepened in a joint discussion.

Framing Keynote: Stefan Kreppel, Austria Tourism

Austrian Good Practice: Marie-Louise Schnurpfeil, Linz Tourism Association

Subsequent panel discussion: Stefan Kreppel, Austria Tourism / Marie-Louise Schnurpfeil, Linz Tourism Association / Monika Klinger, BMWET / Verena Brandtner-Pastuszyn, Henriette Stadthotel Vienna