Vienna’s attractiveness for visitors from all over the world remains unchanged. In the previous year, a preliminary tourist peak was reached with nearly 15 million overnight stays (+4.4 %) and 6.9 million arrivals (+4.5 %). However, 18 million overnight stays and much more arrivals are planned until the year 2020. This is the reason why measures are now being taken to ensure that not all tourism activities in Vienna are to be in the heart of the city on Stephansplatz.
It is a question of sustainable tourism development. This is only possible in cooperation with the inhabitants, said the head of Wien-Tourismus, Norbert Kettner, in a presentation of annual figures.
This is why one has to make sure that greater amounts of tourists stay compatible with the population living in the first district. The aim is to equalize the tourist streams by enhancing highlighted attractions in districts outside the so-called ring.
The average bed occupancy in Vienna also rose in the previous year, by 2 % to 58.3 %. One reason for this is that the number of beds in the city hotel industry last year has decreased for the first time by 2.2 % to 62, 800. But this is only short-term, says Kettner. By 2018 it is assumed that the number of beds in Vienna’s hotels will increase by about 4 % to more than 65,000.
On the other hand, however, net overnight turnover stagnated in 2016. According to figures available from January to November last year, the net overnight turnover fell by 0.3 % to 663.4 million. Including the December figures, which are not yet available, however, it is assumed that the bottom line is a black zero, says Financial Councillor Renate Brauner.
One reason for the stagnation in sales is probably the fact that there was a drop in overnight stays of Arab, Russian and US tourists last year.
However, the arrivals and overnight stays by guests from Germany, Austria, the UK, Spain, Switzerland and France have increased. Chinese inflow has increased by 15 % in terms of overnight stays and has made it into the top ten visiting nations for the first time.