Vienna reports record 20m bednights in 2025; GCC arrivals up

Vienna’s tourism sector reported its strongest ever performance in 2025 with 20 million bednights (up 6% on 2024), and is on course for record revenue from overnight stays, the latest data released by the Vienna Tourist Board shows. 

In 2026, life in Vienna will be flavoured by all things culinary when Viennese cuisine takes center stage. And May will bring a major event highlight when Vienna hosts the 70th Eurovision Song Contest.

“2025 was the most successful year for city tourism in Vienna since records began: with 20 million overnight stays, Vienna set a new marker and underlined its significance as a European tourism destination,” confirmed Vienna Tourist Board CEO Norbert Kettner. 

The city reported 20,065,000 visitor overnight stays – up 6% year-on-year, beating the previous record set in 2024. Accommodation revenue is also expected to reach an all-time high: so far, revenues have been evaluated for January through November – with a total of EUR1.254 billion confirmed, which represents an increase of 4%, with November alone contributing EUR131 million of the 11-month total – a year-on-year gain of 10%. 

“In 2025, we will very likely surpass the previous record of EUR1.4 billion which was set in 2024. My heartfelt thanks goes out to all of the entrepreneurs working in our visitor economy and their employees – they made this success possible despite a multitude of challenges,” said Kettner.

Strong momentum from the Middle East

Vienna’s status as a premier GCC destination continues to grow, driven by enhanced flight connectivity and a tourism landscape that seamlessly pairs historic landmarks with modern, multicultural appeal.

The United Arab Emirates led this regional growth with 75,427 arrivals (up 11.3%), resulting in 152,847 overnight stays (up 8.5%). Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia contributed 62,326 arrivals (up 5.4%), which translated into 141,080 bednights, a steady 2.1% increase over the previous year. These figures underscore the region's vital role in Vienna's premium segment, where GCC visitors remain key drivers of growth in the city's most prestigious cultural and hospitality sectors.

Four- and five-star accommodations

Vienna currently has 450 hotels, which offer a combined total of around 42,400 rooms with 84,600 beds. Around 60% of the city's hotel beds are in the four- and five-star categories. 

At year-end 2025, Vienna had 26 luxury hotels. The newest addition in this category, the Mandarin Oriental, is located in the former Vienna Commercial Court building. 

Thanks to this broad offering across all categories, the city is well prepared for the Eurovision Song Contest and other major upcoming events in 2026, including five international meetings each set to attract more than 10,000 participants. 

This year, Vienna is expected to host close to 50 congresses and company meetings with over 1,000 participants each. 

Synonymous with qualitative and sustainable growth, the capital’s “Optimum Tourism” visitor economy strategy takes this even further: in the future, the goal is for every tenth overnight stay to come from the meetings sector, and for two‑thirds of visitors to represent the core “desired guests” category – individuals who appreciate culture, seek quality, travel independently and make a positive contribution to the city by visiting. At the same time, Vienna is committed to keeping the “sweet spot” between tourism acceptance and visitor satisfaction at a consistently high level of 9 out of 10. - TradeArabia News Service