Vienna is taking another step towards sustainable destination development with its new Sustainable Tourism Observatory. Having formulated its own vision of “Optimum Tourism”, the city is now also making its progress in this area measurable. Without clear goals and verifiable indicators, sustainable tourism is confined to the realms of the purely theoretical. The Observatory serves as a compass for sustainable development while giving reassurance to residents that the city is sticking to its chosen approach . Evidence-based, impact-driven, and transparent.

Key Instrument for Strategy Implementation and Destination Stewardship

The Sustainable Tourism Observatory is not just a measuring or data collection point – there is much more to it than that: it provides a platform where we can actively involve key stakeholders in the wider implementation of the Visitor Economy Strategy. As a result, it becomes a central instrument of what we refer to as “Destination Stewardship” – the shaping of the destination in line with shared goals, and with shared responsibility.

Engaged in a dialog we – the city’s tourism providers and institutions, the Vienna Tourist Board, and interest groups such as the Vienna Chamber of Commerce – jointly define the specific areas in which we want to take action and set definitive goals that we want to use to measure our success.

What do we want do measure?

Monitoring 11 areas – from energy consumption to waste management, and from employment effects to mobility aspects – the Observatory tracks developments throughout the destination. It highlights trends, zeroes in on specific challenges, and provides valuable insights. By doing so, it facilitates a deeper understanding of developments on the ground, allowing us to respond purposefully and actively shape them.

The objectives of the Visitor Economy Strategy also have a key role to play here: increasingly becoming the guiding metric, the balance between visitor satisfaction and acceptance among residents is tracked closely in the Observatory.

The Observatory places particular emphasis on the Visitor Economy Strategy Action Programs: specific data is collected for each of these focus areas, and progress is brought to light.

And beyond that, it goes without saying the Observatory ties into the City of Vienna’s overarching climate and sustainability goals, where the tourism destination, too, is looking to play an active role: chief among them climate neutrality, or reducing local greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2040.

The dashboard on this page provides an overview of the most important indicators as well as the current data – unadulterated and accessible to everyone.

What are we starting with?

Rather than being a finished product, the Observatory will change and grow with each initiative we launch. Its starting point is shaped by the City of Vienna’s key sustainability indicators – from energy consumption to transport choices and preserving the high proportion of green spaces in the capital. As a first step, we are also aiming to initiate a number of activities in a range of different areas. Details of the activities that have already been planned can be seen in the Visitor Economy Strategy Action Programs, with initial key metrics available here soon.

Leading role in international discourse

Through its Sustainable Tourism Observatory, Vienna is also actively engaging in the international discourse surrounding sustainable, future-proof urban tourism. An important platform in this regard is the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO), which was established by the United Nations. More than 40 destinations have already signed up to this UN Tourism initiative, with Vienna joining in April 2025. As a historic city, Vienna aims to play an active role within this network and provide fresh impetus for sustainable tourism.
 

Further information on the conception of the Sustainable Tourism Observatory can be found in the Preliminary Report linked below. 

Preliminary Report (PDF)

The conception of the Vienna Sustainable Tourism Observatory is supported by the Federal Ministry Republic of Austria Labour and Economy.