subject: Do Your Business A Power Of Good By Heading Into Austrias Clear Mountain Air [print this page] Thanks to its position at the centre of mainland Europe, sharing borders with seven other countries, Austria is seen as a major trading country. The desirability of gaining a foothold in the Austrian market is also greatly increased by the fact that it is one of the European Unions most successful and prosperous economies. It ranks as the worlds 12th richest country, and its 8.4million residents enjoy one of the highest qualities of life in the world. This is despite it only ranking as the 113th largest country in the world.
Austria is a highly industrialised country, with major construction, vehicle and parts manufacturing, chemicals, metals, wood processing and food industries, which all figure heavily in its list of major exports. Nearly a third of that export market is accounted for by its neighbour, Germany, and the two countries are highly inter-dependent for trade no surprise given that they share Austrias longest border, and nearly 90 per cent of the 8.2million population speaks a variant of German as their first language.
The country was badly affected by the worldwide economic downturn, necessitating the government stepping in to provide additional funding to its banks. It has also experienced rising unemployment, which experts say will only come down with the help of long-term refocusing of its industrial capacity. Austria is a full member of the European Union, so trade between it and the UK is fast and easy, and uninhibited by internal European borders and regulations.
Because of its substantial tourism and service industries, it has also attracted many British ex-pats, who arrive to either work short-term, or take up longer-term positions with one of the many leading world and European bodies which have established either their headquarters or major bases here. These include OPEC, the council of the worlds leading oil producing nations, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The countrys major airport is Vienna International Airport, while the five next largest cities, Salzburg, Graz, Linz, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt, also receive cargo flights.
Skiing holidays may be one of the major reasons why British people choose to visit Austria. But there are many more reasons why someone would need to send a parcel to Austria. As a friendly, prosperous country, it offers considerable potential for businesses of many types especially when they have the backing of rapid and reliable international shipping companies.