“2025 was the most successful year for Vienna’s city tourism since records began. With 20 million overnight stays, Vienna has set a new benchmark and reaffirmed its status as a leading European tourism metropolis,” said Norbert Kettner, CEO of the Vienna Tourist Board, taking stock of the results. The city recorded 20,065,000 overnight stays, up 6% on 2024, thereby surpassing the previous high reached last year. A new record is also expected in accommodation revenue: figures are currently available for January to November, showing revenue of €1,254,168,000, an increase of 4%. November alone contributed €131 million, up 10% year-on-year.
“We will, in all likelihood, exceed the previous peak of €1.4 billion from 2024 in 2025. My sincere thanks go to the businesses of Vienna’s visitor economy and their employees, who made this success possible despite numerous challenges,” Kettner added.
83% of overnight stays from abroad; more than 3.5 million from Germany
Around 83% of overnight stays in 2025 were generated by international visitors (2024: 82%). Germany remained the largest source market, accounting for 3,543,000 overnight stays (+2% on 2024), followed by Austria with 3,381,000 (+1%). The United States ranked third with 1,259,000 overnight stays (+3%) and led the five-star hotel segment in accommodation revenue.
European markets rounded out the top 10: Italy (1,077,000, +4%), the United Kingdom (800,000, ±0%), Spain (660,000, +7%), France (539,000, +2%), Poland (512,000, +6%), Switzerland (408,000, -2%) and Romania (394,000, +6%). China already ranks 10th in terms of accommodation revenue, but with 365,000 overnight stays (+22%) has so far recovered only around 70% of its pre-crisis level. Canada (235,000, +17%), South Korea (232,000, +7%), and Japan (202,000, +24%) also posted encouraging growth, although Japan remains around 40% below its 2019 level.
Comprehensive, up-to-date figures for all source markets are available here.
60% of bed capacity in the four- and five-star segment
Vienna currently has around 450 hotels, offering some 42,400 rooms and 84,600 beds. Approximately 60% of hotel bed capacity falls within the four- and five-star categories. As of the end of 2025, the city has 26 luxury hotels, with the Mandarin Oriental in the former Commercial Court building as the most recent addition.
Overall, the city expects nearly 50 congresses and corporate conferences this year, each with more than 1,000 participants.
This broad range across all categories leaves Vienna well prepared for the Eurovision Song Contest and other major events in 2026, including five international meetings with more than 10,000 participants each. Overall, the city expects nearly 50 congresses and corporate conferences this year, each with more than 1,000 participants.
These developments underpin Vienna’s “Optimum Tourism” visitor economy strategy, which is geared towards qualitative and sustainable growth. The aim is for every tenth overnight stay to come from the meetings sector, and for two-thirds of visitors to be so-called “desired guests”: people who value culture, seek quality, travel independently and make a positive contribution to the city during their stay. At the same time, Vienna seeks to keep the “sweet spot” between resident acceptance of tourism and visitor satisfaction stable at 9 out of 10.
Last autumn, as part of its “Optimum Tourism” strategy, the Vienna Tourist Board also published a comprehensive placemaking handbook. The publication provides practical guidelines on how tourism, urban development and local communities can work together to enhance public spaces and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. By positioning placemaking as a core action programme, Vienna underscores its commitment to high-quality, sustainable destination development. The handbook and further insights into Vienna’s placemaking approach are available on the Vienna Tourist Board’s B2B website here.
Highlights 2026: Eurovision Song Contest and Viennese cuisine
In May, Vienna will celebrate the world’s largest music competition, the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. The website already provides continuously updated information in five languages. From April, the destination app ivie will serve as the official Host City app, featuring ESC city guides, fan zone information and an interactive scavenger hunt with prizes.
At the same time, Vienna will shine a spotlight on its culinary diversity under the annual theme “Vienna Bites: Cuisine, Culture, Character.” “In 2026, the spotlight will be on the full culinary opulence of Vienna, from fine dining to the traditional sausage stand,” Kettner said. More than 500 establishments are showcased in the ivie app for iOS and Android, while the new “Wirtshaus & Beisl Guide,” which leads users through different districts, is already available. Holders of the Vienna City Card receive discounts at selected venues.
Star chef Lukas Mraz and renowned German chef Tim Mälzer will explore Vienna’s gastronomic landscape from February in the YouTube series Hungry for More. Further information is available at viennabites.wien.info.
Find out more about Vienna’s events landscape here.
