Mozart jubilee sparks tourism

Mozart has a new record -- and this one isn’t pressed into vinyl.

Organizers of last year’s series of festivals, exhibitions, concerts and conferences to celebrate the 250th anniversary of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth said Tuesday the jubilee drew 1.2 million tourists to Austria -- a record for a single festival.

The anniversary year is still winding down and won’t be completed until the end of the month. Organizers said they expect the remaining festivities, which will culminate with a three-day festival at the end of January, to draw at least another 100,000 visitors.

Chief Mozart year organizer Peter Marboe said the nearly 3,000 events were also a commercial success, bringing in $19.4 million after expenses.