Colorful tiles on the roof of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna

You are here:

Tourism in Vienna: hotels pass billion euro revenue threshold for first time in 2019

2019 was the most successful year on record for Vienna’s tourism industry, with the city reporting 7.9 million arrivals (up 5.1% on 2018) and 17.6 million bednights (up 6.8%). XXXX overnight stays were accounted for by visitors from XXXXXX. Net revenue from overnight stays to date in the city’s accommodation industry amounted to EUR 904 million (Jan-Nov 2019; up 14% on 2018). “Recently, revenue has risen almost twice as fast as overnight stays – for the full year, all indicators suggest that Vienna’s accommodation will break the one billion euro barrier for the first time in 2019,” reported Director of Tourism Norbert Kettner. “Bednight totals are no longer the gold standard in the tourism industry – what matters more is that the value added is right, the environmental impact of tourism is kept as low as possible and satisfaction levels remain at a high level among visitors and residents alike,” Kettner confirmed, referencing the objectives that Vienna has set itself in its 2025 Visitor Economy Strategy.

Shaping Vienna: new strategy taking the city through to 2025

Following on from the tourism concepts of recent years, Vienna presented a Visitor Economy Strategy for the first time at the end of 2019. Guided by the principle of Shaping Vienna, the new strategy completely redefines travel as a phenomenon and its effect on the destination, while targeting sustainable development and balancing the needs of both residents and visitors. The emphasis is on adding value for the city, its residents and its businesses. The goal for 2025 (compared with 2018 as the baseline) is to increase tourism's contribution to GDP in Vienna from EUR 4bn to EUR 6bn, with a rise in revenue from the city's accommodation providers from EUR 900m to EUR 1.5bn. Another core objective is to ensure that satisfaction rates among both visitors to the city and Viennese residents remain at their present high level: nine out of ten visitors would recommend visiting Vienna to others, and the same proportion of the city’s residents view its tourism industry in a positive light. Vienna is targeting an increase in the number of companies in the leisure and tourism sector to be certified according to the Österreichisches Umweltzeichen ecolabel from 112 to 224 by 2025, coupled with a reversal in the proportion of arrivals by train (21%) and car (26%). The full 2025 Visitor Economy Strategy can be found online at https://shaping.vienna.info.

83% of overnight stays by international visitors

Around 83% of visitor bednights in Vienna in 2019 were accounted for by international guests. Germany continues to lead the global top ten with a total of 3,360,000 bednights in 2019 (up 6%), followed by Austria (3,046,000, up 2%), the USA (1,032,000, up 8%), Italy (837,000, up 13%) and the United Kingdom (736,000, down 3%). Places 6-10 were occupied by Spain (650,000, up 25%), China (524,000, up 3%), France (511,000, up 10%), Russia (464,000, up 2%) and Switzerland (458,000, up 4%). Visitor numbers were up for 24 of the top 30 markets, while the remaining six fell short of the previous year’s totals. Japan (339,000, up 15%), Israel (299,000, up 44%) and Ukraine (278,000, up 59%) all generated particularly strong growth.

Vienna 2020: Capital of Music

Vienna will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth in 2020. In honor of this special anniversary, the Vienna Tourist Board has selected “Vienna 2020. Capital of Music” as the theme for the year. It has invited international stars from Billy Joel to Yuja Wang to talk about their personal relationships with the capital of music as it gets music fans in the mood for the highlights ahead of 2020. The organization has also developed an interactive Beethoven audiobook with the Wiener Symphoniker for Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Visit https://music2020.vienna.info for all the latest on the 2020 theme year.

2019 was the most successful year on record for Vienna’s tourism industry, with the city reporting 7.9 million arrivals (up 5.1% on 2018) and 17.6 million bednights (up 6.8%). Net revenue from overnight stays to date in the city’s accommodation industry amounted to EUR 904 million (Jan-Nov 2019; up 14% on 2018). “Recently, revenue has risen almost twice as fast as overnight stays – for the full year, all indicators suggest that Vienna’s accommodation will break the one billion euro barrier for the first time in 2019,” reported Director of Tourism Norbert Kettner. “Bednight totals are no longer the gold standard in the tourism industry – what matters more is that the value added is right, the environmental impact of tourism is kept as low as possible and satisfaction levels remain at a high level among visitors and residents alike,” Kettner confirmed, referencing the objectives that Vienna has set itself in its 2025 Visitor Economy Strategy.

Shaping Vienna: new strategy taking the city through to 2025

Following on from the tourism concepts of recent years, Vienna presented a Visitor Economy Strategy for the first time at the end of 2019. Guided by the principle of Shaping Vienna, the new strategy completely redefines travel as a phenomenon and its effect on the destination, while targeting sustainable development and balancing the needs of both residents and visitors. The emphasis is on adding value for the city, its residents and its businesses. The goal for 2025 (compared with 2018 as the baseline) is to increase tourism's contribution to GDP in Vienna from EUR 4bn to EUR 6bn, with a rise in revenue from the city's accommodation providers from EUR 900m to EUR 1.5bn. Another core objective is to ensure that satisfaction rates among both visitors to the city and Viennese residents remain at their present high level: nine out of ten visitors would recommend visiting Vienna to others, and the same proportion of the city’s residents view its tourism industry in a positive light. Vienna is targeting an increase in the number of companies in the leisure and tourism sector to be certified according to the Österreichisches Umweltzeichen ecolabel from 112 to 224 by 2025, coupled with a reversal in the proportion of arrivals by train (21%) and car (26%). The full 2025 Visitor Economy Strategy can be found online at https://shaping.vienna.info.

83% of overnight stays by international visitors

Around 83% of visitor bednights in Vienna in 2019 were accounted for by international guests. Germany continues to lead the global top ten with a total of 3,360,000 bednights in 2019 (up 6%), followed by Austria (3,046,000, up 2%), the USA (1,032,000, up 8%), Italy (837,000, up 13%) and the United Kingdom (736,000, down 3%). Places 6-10 were occupied by Spain (650,000, up 25%), China (524,000, up 3%), France (511,000, up 10%), Russia (464,000, up 2%) and Switzerland (458,000, up 4%). Visitor numbers were up for 24 of the top 30 markets, while the remaining six fell short of the previous year’s totals. Japan (339,000, up 15%), Israel (299,000, up 44%) and Ukraine (278,000, up 59%) all generated particularly strong growth.

Vienna 2020: Capital of Music

Vienna will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth in 2020. In honor of this special anniversary, the Vienna Tourist Board has selected “Vienna 2020. Capital of Music” as the theme for the year. It has invited international stars from Billy Joel to Yuja Wang to talk about their personal relationships with the capital of music as it gets music fans in the mood for the highlights ahead of 2020. The organization has also developed an interactive Beethoven audiobook with the Wiener Symphoniker for Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Visit https://music2020.vienna.info for all the latest on the 2020 theme year.

Video: WahlwienerInnen über Wien

Rate this article
Rate this article