Forget tourist taxes and visitor caps – Austria is tackling overtourism in the busy winter season with something more unusual: a non-disclosure agreement that asks travellers to keep their holiday secrets to themselves. Olivia Palamountain reports

Austria Tourism is asking tourists to do something unusual: keep quiet. The quirky "Non-Disclosure Austria" campaign offers access to more than 120 curated insider tips for winter – from uncrowded pistes to undiscovered local huts – but only if visitors agree not to share them on social media.

Launched in association with creative agency Wien Nord Serviceplan, the campaign aims to redirect visitors away from hotspots and disperse tourist flows during the busy winter season by giving signed-up travellers access to local knowledge.

The NDA, available to sign here, is not legally binding, not enforceable and intentionally humorous. Its only "obligation" is a moral one: visitors are asked not to talk about or share on social media any insider tips they encounter on the website or discover in person during their time in Austria.

The campaign follows a trend for unconventional tourism marketing efforts designed to attract attention through amusing and provocative tactics. Visit Oslo went viral in 2024 with a self-deprecating campaign that begins with a local saying "I wouldn't come here, to be honest", whilst Visit Sweden unveiled a playful campaign encouraging travellers to embrace boredom in winter, reframing stillness and quiet as a form of wellbeing.

Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger, chief executive of Austria Tourism, says: "Today, travellers are looking for authentic experiences that go beyond the usual bucket lists. Austrians love to share their favourite places, but some of these secrets are just too good to give away publicly. With this creative approach, we want to showcase Austria's lesser-known attractions in a humorous way and help disperse visitor flows."

The campaign kicked off with social media clips teasing authentic insider tips from real Austrians whilst pixelating and bleeping all crucial details – a tourism campaign that deliberately withholds the beauty of the country. Viewers saw just enough to crave what they couldn't have.

Axel Spendlingwimmer and Michael Maier, the creative duo behind the campaign, say: "An experience gets so much more special when you are not allowed to talk about it. And we implement that on the level of a whole country."

Matthias Piskernik, chief creative officer of Wien Nord Serviceplan, adds: "It's about letting people in on a secret whilst keeping the places special. It's an insider club for those in the know - and in the end for everybody that commits to keeping a secret."