The Tyrol is one of the world's best known holiday destinations and, as a result, most people tend to have a preconceived image of the region. This picture is dominated by mountains and forests, winter sports, old farm houses set against splendid Alpine scenery and colourful folk customs.

While tourism is certainly a strong factor in the economy of the province bringing in most of Austira's foreign currency, Tyrol is also important for the production of hydro-electric power.

The Tyrol is not only a land in the mountains with many world-famous ski champions, but also a remarkable cultural landscape with a great musical past and a lively, broad range of musical activity, today shared by all levels of society.

The Tyrol is situated at the junction of numerous trans-European communication links. The Inn Valley Motorway and the Brenner Motorway are classified as E Roads, i.e. major European routes. The 9-mile Arlberg Road Tunnel provides the road link, passable in winter, between Vorarlberg and the Tyrol. The Felbertauern Highway provides a direct road link between the northern and eastern parts of the province without leaving Austrian territory.