Pixelated images with blurred backgrounds are part of the campaign launched by Austrian Tourism to promote hidden gems of the country, from hiking trails to culinary offerings, without promoting mass tourism. There is only one requirement: that the visitor signs a “confidentiality agreement”.
“After signing it, you will receive up to 120 hidden gems from authentic Austrians who will tell you the true secrets of our country,” explains Sandra Stichauner, marketing director of the Austrian National Tourist Office and head of the ‘Non Disclosure Austria’ campaign, making it clear that it is not a legally binding contract.
With that pact, it is promised to offer “expert advice” as natural treasures “that Instagram hasn’t discovered yet”, “hidden ski slopes, known only to locals and marmots” or “unknown cultural recommendations”.
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In return, the participant is asked to maintain strict confidentiality and emphasizes avoiding revealing the secrets to friends, family, or colleagues in order not to contribute to the tendency to share information about what we do and visit without control on social networks.
In the event of breaking that agreement, Austria reserves the right to express its “silent disappointment”, the document humorously warns.
The campaign, valid until February 28, 2026, is primarily aimed at tourists from Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
Tourism without mass tourism
Austria, with nine million inhabitants, is a popular vacation destination where in 2024 about 45 million annual tourists visited Christmas markets, skied down ski slopes, attended shows, retreated to spas or hiked hiking trails.
Stichauner assures that, although mass tourism is not currently a problem in Austria, some places may become “crowded during peak hours”.
Therefore, the project seeks to “distribute visitor traffic, contribute to balanced tourism development, and reduce localized overcrowding in popular regions” but, as Stichauner clarifies, without imposing restrictions as in Venice.
“The most special experience you can have in a country often lies in the personal recommendations of the locals,” says Stichauner.
So, the project’s platform displays videos, audios, and photos of Austrians who reveal unseen and unique places.
“They are very exclusive indications. It indicates, for example, a small hidden path in some small town,” points out the Tourism directive of Austria.
The Non Disclosure Austria campaign is complemented by collaborations with influencers and the installation of large billboards in major German cities showing a “pixelated tip about the Austrian winter” and a QR code that leads directly to the text and information of the agreement.
