- Induced economic impact reaches the new high at EUR 1.163 billion (up 8%)
- Ten-year comparison: induced economic impact rises 78% since 2008
- New record for event participant totals and overnights; a number of events unchanged
- One in every eight overnight stays accounted for by meetings and congresses
- Vienna meetings industry secured around 21,000 year-round jobs in 2017
The Vienna meetings industry reported its strongest ever results in 2017, in an extension of the record tourism figures posted by the capital during the year. With the total number of events virtually unchanged year on year, there were new all-time highs in terms of participant totals and bednights as well as the induced economic impact attributable to congresses, corporate events, and incentives.
“Our heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone involved in Vienna’s meetings industry,” said Economic and International Affairs Renate Brauner, “yet again they managed to ensure that the past year was the most successful in the city’s history as a meetings destination. For the second time now the city hosted more than 4,000 congresses, corporate events, and incentives and there were strong improvements in all other key indicators.
“The meetings industry’s contribution to Austrian GDP was no less impressive,” Renate Brauner said. “The symbolic EUR 1 billion marks were reached and breached for the first time in 2015, and by 2017 induced economic impact had climbed to EUR 1,163 billion – an increase of 8% on the previous year,” she explained.
“Vienna’s meetings industry once again proved to be a dependable employer, securing more than 21,000 year-round jobs nationwide. That is over 1,000 more than the previous year – and this contribution to the labor market should not be underestimated,” Brauner continued. “
“The importance of meetings and congress tourism for Vienna is plain to see when expressed as a proportion of all overnights recorded in the capital during the year,” noted Vienna Tourist Board Manager Norbert Kettner. Meetings, congresses and incentives together accounted for 12% of the total number of overnight stays in Vienna in 2017. The city has the segment to thank for one in every eight bednights.”
“International congresses are the cash cow of the meetings industry. For years now they have had the greatest impact on the bottom line,” Kettner explained. While it accounted for just 20%, or a fifth, of all meetings, this segment represented 51% of all participants, 74% of overnights and 79% of economic impact. 80% of the tax revenue induced by meetings and congresses for the City of Vienna was generated by international congresses. “These totals clearly show that Vienna’s success as a congress destination is heavily dependent on international congresses, a segment that puts a strong emphasis on transport connections, and in particular the city’s international flight links, he concluded.
More on this is available on www.vienna.convention.at/en/news/2018/vienna-meetings-industry-2017-new-records
