'Vienna drawing Indian tourists like magnet'

New Delhi: Austrian capital Vienna is drawing Indian tourists like a magnet, their numbers doubling over the past six years to touch 25,000 this year, shows a Vienna Tourist Board survey.Even the night stays in local hotels by Indians will outgrow the record inflow of over 55,000 room nights in 2011, said Verena Hable, a Vienna Tourist Board official who was in the national capital.“With Vienna emerging as a favoured destination of Indian tourists, we look to welcoming significantly larger inflow of tourists in the coming years,” Hable added.Most Indian visitors tend to cover Vienna, Budapest and Prague—the three major cities of the former Habsburg Empire known as the “Golden Triangle”—by availing a common Schengen visa, according to the Vienna Tourist Board.India-born Zubin Mehta, even at a ripe old age, conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra occasionally. Tourists from India like to include the maestro's performance in their itinerary if he is playing during their stay.“By blending its unique imperial architectural heritage with a distinguished legacy of great artists and musicians like Mozart and Beethoven, Vienna offers one of Europe's most dynamic urban spaces,” Hable said.Like Lutyen's Delhi, Vienna boasts of green spaces that cover over half its area. The countless meadows, trees, parks, gardens, roadside verges, balconies and green rooftops provide a constant, yet ever-changing palette of blossoming flowers, pointed out Hable.Viennese Cuisine, the only one in the world to be named after a city, draws on influences from various countries. A typical dining establishment, the down-to-earth, cozy and traditional bistro, makes its mark on a booming restaurant scene.Vienna, by the meandering Danube river, is connected with Delhi with an eight-hour direct flight operated by Austrian Airlines and Air India five times a week. Most other international airlines also offer easy connectivity.