How One Woman Is Fighting to Save Austria's Vanishing Rural Inns
How One Woman Is Fighting to Save Austria's Vanishing Rural Inns
Kira Saskia Schinko has made it her mission to revive Austria's fading rural businesses. With a background in branding and a deep connection to local inns, she is tackling the steep decline of traditional Gasthäuser across the country. Her efforts include media projects, public campaigns, and bold calls for policy changes to support these struggling businesses.
Schinko's work highlights a stark reality: between 2010 and 2023, Austria lost 20–30% of its rural businesses. Rising costs, rural depopulation, and competition from supermarket chains have pushed many to close. Yet, as she points out, people often mourn their loss without actually supporting them as customers.
In 2024, she took centre stage with the Business Show for Bad Ischl Salzkammergut, the European Capital of Culture. The event brought deserted dining rooms back to life for a day, teaming up with leading regional chefs. That same year, she hosted an ORF series, Opening Up Instead of Closing Down—Can the Local Business Still Be Saved? The six-part programme visited abandoned inns, exploring their social role with locals.
Schinko's approach is unconventional. Known for grassroots PR in Linz, she co-founded the branding agency OrtnerSchinko in 2015. Her strategies go beyond marketing—she argues that businesses rely on unpaid female labour, a contribution rarely acknowledged. To address this, she has urged the Austrian government to introduce tax incentives recognising the value of unpaid family work in these businesses.
Schinko's projects have put rural businesses back in the spotlight. Her series, events, and advocacy push for both cultural and economic solutions. Without intervention, the decline of these community hubs is likely to continue.
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