Embassy Of Austria in Ottawa

Austria’s highly developed advanced industrialised sector is now partnered with a significant service sector, which already generates 65 per cent of GDP. The secondary sector produces a third of GDP, whilst only 2 per cent of GDP is generated by primary activities. Machinery, steel, chemicals and automobiles (especially engines and transmissions), food & beverages, mechanical & structural engineering, and electrical & electronic goods are the most important industrial products. The country’s electronics technology is renowned around the world, particularly thanks to custom designed electronic goods.
Austrian industry consists mostly of small and medium-sized enterprises. Roughly 85 per cent of all companies have fewer than 100 employees. Another 12 per cent employ up to 500 people, 1.6 per cent up to 1, 000, and only 1 per cent have 1, 000 or more people on the payroll.
Tourism plays a very important role in the Austrian economy. There are countless large beautiful lakes, 47% of the country is covered with forest and some 26% is meadow or grazing land. In 2003 the number of international arrivals in Austria reached 19.1 million (representing over 86 million overnight stays and 3/4 of total overnight stays). Many of these visitors came from Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Strict environmental regulations (rigorous pollution control, ban on atomic energy) have ensured that Austria remains exceptionally clean and environmentally intact.