Waltzing Vienna – into a smarter tourism future
Although Vienna’s tourism figures are bouncing back strongly, the destination has a new strategy for ensuring the future means quality tourism not over-tourism.
Vienna’s tourism sector reported its strongest ever performance in 2024, with 18.9m bednights (up 9% on 2023) and record revenue from overnight stays. It is set to be a big year for events, too, in Vienna with 2025 being all about the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Waltz King, Johann Strauss.
Visitors from Germany were the national group accounting for the largest share of bednights last year, with 3,462,000 overnight stays (up 4% on 2023), although, in terms of revenue from overnight stays, the USA took the top spot in the five-star hotel category.
Now Vienna Convention Bureau has shared an update to its Visitor Economy Strategy (VES) which, it says, has redefined travel and its impact on the city since its introduction in 2019. Now, under the title ‘Optimum Tourism’ and led by Vienna Tourist Board, the new phase of VES will focus on good growth and balancing the needs of locals and visitors.
The key points are: Three objectives to shape tourism effectively: a) Maintaining the ‘sweet spot’ between resident satisfaction and visitor satisfaction; b) Two-thirds of Vienna’s visitors should match the ‘desired visitor’ profile and c) One-tenth of overnight stays should come from the meetings sector in the long term Support from residents and visitors as the core foundation Strong focus on cultural tourism, the meeting industry and luxury visitors Destination Stewardship: shared goals and shared responsibility Global standards and transparency through partnership with UN Tourism Action Programmes: flexible action, and stricter rules for public spaces.
The CVB says: “Vienna is a fast-growing international city, and city tourism has returned stronger than ever. Guided by the principle of ‘Do not destroy what your audience loves you for’, we want to ensure that tourism adds real value for visitors and residents alike. Vienna’s strategy is a blueprint for sustainable tourism growth. The goal is to achieve the kind of growth that strengthens the city’s qualities rather than exploiting them. But this calls for a united approach to the Visitor Economy with clear goals and measurable outcomes.”
Venue news
Meanwhile, The Austria Center Vienna continues to modernise, reopening its Level 2 area in time to host the European Radiology Congress (the nation’s largest medical congress) in March this year, with 20,000 attendees.
Another huge piece of conference business in the city recently was the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) Congress which returned to Vienna 30 March to 1 April 2025. Hosted at VIECON – Vienna Congress & Convention Center, that congress saw a record-breaking attendance of over 6,000 delegates from 107 countries.
Vienna now has 433 hotels offering over 40,000 rooms, including a further ten hotels with 1,500 more rooms to the pipeline in 2025.
One standout hotel full of elegance and elan and doing strong events business is the Imperial Riding School hotel – part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection and now completing its first year following an extensive 18-month, €45m renovation. It offers 342 guest rooms, a 450sqm wellness area with pool and an outdoor terrace area suitable for events. There are 13 function rooms and the hotel sits in an artists’ quarter.
A 1,650sqm photovoltaic system on the roof ensures that future electricity requirements can be largely covered by the hotel itself, while sensors have been installed in all rooms to counter any unnecessary energy consumption.
Cvent case study: InterContinental Vienna
Challenge: InterContinental Vienna set ambitious goals to win more MICE business, manage leads more efficiently and deepen planner engagement in a highly competitive market.
Solution: By adopting Cvent technology, the hotel increased its visibility, generated more high-quality leads, streamlined sourcing for planners and simplified the group room block booking process.
Results: Stronger MICE performance increased operational efficiency and higher revenue through improved upselling – driving greater success for a leading luxury property.
Overview
In a region full of competitive MICE destinations like Berlin, Prague and Barcelona, Vienna must work harder to stand out. Venues such as InterContinental Vienna need to leave a lasting impression during the sourcing process and that requires more than just a strong offering. It demands proactive marketing and a strategic approach to engaging both new and returning clients.
“How do we find new customers or potential customers? On the one hand, it is travelling, doing trade shows, participating in forums and organising sales calls,” explains Garry Loefgen, head of commercial at InterContinental Vienna. “But we also needed a smarter, more targeted marketing approach.”
Leveraging technology to compete smarter
To better attract and convert high-value leads, the hotel turned to Cvent’s suite of marketing and operational tools including: CSN Advertising Solutions: Improved visibility and reach in a competitive market. Combined with Cvent data, this helped the team track where they were losing business and adjust accordingly. Cvent Passkey: Streamlined room block management, reduced manual tasks and minimised errors, while smart alerts and customised templates helped with clear communication. Planner Navigator: Gave the sales team insight into planners sourcing in Vienna who hadn’t considered InterContinental Vienna, allowing for proactive outreach.
“Planner Navigator helps us make cold acquisition less cold. We know they’re already asking in Vienna, so we reach out and ask, ‘Why not us?'” says Loefgen.
Smart Custom Proposals: Enhanced the visual and strategic impact of their proposals, making them more competitive and compelling.
Reach and performance
With these tools in place, InterContinental Vienna has significantly expanded its reach and performance. 100% response rate in 2024 €2.7M worth of RFPs bid on through RFP Showcase 68% of RFPs from suggested ads are from new planners
“Winning MICE business today isn’t just about offering beautiful spaces — it’s about standing out and cutting through the noise in an incredibly competitive European market…By investing in the right technology, we’ve been able to respond faster, tailor our proposals so they are more personalised, build deeper partnerships and ultimately win more business,” Garry Loefgen added.
Link to full case study: https://www.cvent.com/en/success-story/hospitality/intercontinental-vienna
