The long-established Viennese inland shipping company DDSG Blue Danube has launched a culinary partnership with the renowned Tichy ice cream parlor just in time for the start of summer. As part of this new offering, the ice cream parlor's most famous product, the apricot ice cream dumpling, will be served on the company's ships.
The collaboration links the tourist offerings of the "Danube Panorama Tour," launched last year, with a traditional gastronomic brand from the Austrian capital. The partnership was officially launched at a celebratory presentation aboard the flagship MS Vienna, attended by numerous representatives from business, politics, and culture.
The two-hour round trip departs four times daily from the shipping center at the Reichsbrücke bridge and passes by modern architectural landmarks of Vienna such as the DC Tower, the UN City, and the Millennium Tower. The combined ticket for the trip, including an ice cream treat, is offered at a fixed price and is specifically aimed at both domestic and international tourists. For the operators, this collaboration, just before the start of the traditional apricot harvest in the Wachau region, represents a logical extension of their excursion program, as the shipping company also has a strong presence in this Lower Austrian region through its scheduled services.
DDSG Blue Danube was founded in 1995 as the successor to the historic First Danube Steamship Company of 1829 and is jointly owned by Wien Holding and the Vienna Transport Authority. With a fleet of nine passenger ships, including the MS Vindobona and the MS Admiral Tegetthoff, the company transports more than 300.000 passengers annually on the Danube in the Vienna and Lower Austria region, as well as on international routes to Bratislava. Meanwhile, the family-run Tichy ice cream parlor is approaching the 70th anniversary of its most famous ice cream creation and is using the partnership to strengthen its brand presence beyond its flagship store on Vienna's Reumannplatz.