“2025 was the most successful year for city tourism in Vienna since records began: with 20 million overnight stays, Vienna set a new marker and underlined its significance as a European tourism destination,” confirmed Vienna Tourist Board CEO Norbert Kettner. The city reported 20,065,000 visitor overnight stays – up 6% year-on-year, beating the previous record set in 2024. Accommodation revenue is also expected to reach an all-time high: so far, revenues have been evaluated for January through November – with a total of EUR 1,254,168,000 confirmed, which represents an increase of 4%, with November alone contributing EUR 131m of the 11-month total – a year-on-year gain of 10%. “In 2025, we will very likely surpass the previous record of EUR 1.4 billion which was set in 2024. My heartfelt thanks goes out to all of the entrepreneurs working in our visitor economy and their employees – they made this success possible despite a multitude of challenges,” said Kettner.

Around 83% of Overnight Stays Accounted for by Visitors from Abroad, 539,000 Bednights from France (up 2%)

International visitors accounted for around 83% of overnight stays in 2025 (2024: 82%). Broken down by country, Germany contributed the single largest share of the bednight total with 3,543,000 overnight stays (up 2% on 2024), followed by Austria (3,381,000, up 1%). While the United States was third with 1,259,000 overnight stays (up 3%), it ranked first in terms of accommodation revenue in the five‑star hotel segment. European markets – Italy (1,077,000, up 4%), the United Kingdom (800,000, ±0%), Spain (660,000, up 7%), France (539,000, up 2%), Poland (512,000, up 6%), Switzerland (408,000, down 2%), and Romania (394,000, up 6%) – complete the top ten. Already tenth in terms of accommodation revenue, with 365,000 overnight stays (up 22%), China was still only around two‑thirds (70%) of the way towards its pre‑crisis benchmark. Canada (235,000, up 17%), South Korea (232,000, up 7%), and Japan (202,000, up 24%) also saw strong growth, even though Japan still remains 40% below its 2019 total. The latest detailed figures for all of the incoming markets covered by the survey are available at: https://b2b.vienna.info/en/statistics/data/recent-statistics

60% of Beds in Four- and Five-Star Category Accommodations

Vienna currently has 450 hotels, which offer a combined total of around 42,400 rooms with 84,600 beds. Around 60% of the city's hotel beds are in the four- and five-star categories. At year-end 2025, Vienna had 26 luxury hotels. The newest addition in this category, the Mandarin Oriental, is located in the former Vienna Commercial Court building. Thanks to this broad offering across all categories, the city is well prepared for the Eurovision Song Contest and other major upcoming events in 2026, including five international meetings each set to attract more than 10,000 participants. This year, Vienna is expected to host close to 50 congresses and company meetings with over 1,000 participants each. Synonymous with qualitative and sustainable growth, the capital’s “Optimum Tourism” visitor economy strategy takes this even further: in the future, the goal is for every tenth overnight stay to come from the meetings sector, and for two‑thirds of visitors to represent the core “desired guests” category – individuals who appreciate culture, seek quality, travel independently and make a positive contribution to the city by visiting. At the same time, Vienna is committed to keeping the “sweet spot” between tourism acceptance and visitor satisfaction at a consistently high level of 9 out of 10.

Last autumn, the Vienna Tourist Board also launched a comprehensive Placemaking Playbook as part of its “Optimum Tourism” visitor economy strategy. The publication provides practical guidance on how tourism, urban development and local communities can work together to enhance public spaces and strengthen quality of life for residents and visitors alike. With Placemaking positioned as a key action program, Vienna underlines its commitment to qualitative, sustainable destination development. The Playbook and further insights into Vienna’s Placemaking approach are available on the Vienna Tourist Board’s B2B platform:

https://b2b.wien.info/en/strategy-brand/visitor-economy-strategy/action-programs/placemaking-870080 

Highlights of 2026: Eurovision Song Contest and Viennese Cuisine

In May, the entire city will come together to celebrate the world’s largest music competition, the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. The eurovision.vienna.info website already provides continuously updated information in five languages. In April, the ivie destination app will become the official host city app – complete with ESC city guides, fan‑zone info and an interactive scavenger hunt including a prize draw. In parallel, Vienna will be shining a light on its rich culinary diversity under the theme for 2026 of “Vienna Bites: Cuisine, Culture, Character”. “In 2026, the spotlight will be on every aspect of Vienna’s incredible culinary opulence – from fine dining to the Viennese sausage stand,” said Kettner. More than 500 establishments are featured in the ivie app for iOS and Android, and the new “Tavern & Beisl Guide”, which leads through various districts, is already available. Holders of a Vienna City Card can look forward to discounts at selected establishments. From February, Michelin‑starred chef Lukas Mraz and German celebrity chef Tim Mälzer will explore Vienna’s culinary landscape in the YouTube series “Hungry for more”. All the details at: viennabites.vienna.info.

Contact

Helena Steinhart
Media Relations
+43 1 211 14-364
helena.steinhart@vienna.info