Salzburg tourism officials are considering building a museum devoted to the film The Sound of Music.

Discussions are under way to create a centre about the Von Trapp family, whose story was told in the 1965 Hollywood classic about a family singing troupe fleeing from the Nazis.

"Around 300,000 people visit Salzburg each year simply because of the movie," said Wilfried Haslauer, the Salzburg deputy governor. "I believe therefore it would be good - and also most necessary - to create such a centre."

The film chronicles the adventures of Baron Von Trapp, his seven children and Maria, the governess, played by Julie Andrews, who becomes wife and mother to the family before they flee Austria. The film won five Oscars and earned Andrews a nomination for best actress.

Tourism surveys show that three out of four Americans come to Salzburg, the former home of the real-life Von Trapp family, because of the musical. Once in Salzburg, many tourists ignore composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the city's most famous native, to take tours of sites featured in the movie and participate in sing-alongs of famous melodies from the film.