According to Wien Tourismus, there were signs of recovery at least in the second half of the year – until the new lockdown in November and December. Exactly 4,997,000 overnight stays were registered in the federal capital in 2021. This was 72 percent below the mark of the previous record year 2019, but could at least improve compared to the first pandemic year 2020. In the months from August to October, around 60 percent of the “normal” level was even reached.
Significant decline in sales too
According to Wien Tourismus, the net overnight turnover of the accommodation providers is currently fixed for January to November 2021: EUR 279.3 million means a calculated increase of 21 percent compared to 2020, but is still 69 percent below the comparative value before the crisis in the year 2019. At that time, Vienna’s hotels made the billion in sales for the first time.
The room prices remained at a stable level in a comparison of European cities. Declines like in other European cities were not recorded, it said. Overall, turnover increased even more than overnight stays. According to Vienna’s tourism experts, this is due to the fact that the five-star hotel industry in particular had a comparatively good development in the previous year.
Most visitors from the local markets
Unsurprisingly, the local markets dominated the events. Austria and Germany were at the top here, followed by Italy. In the long-distance markets, overnight stays from Israel and the USA were at the forefront. Above all, guests from the USA ensured good sales – since, according to statistics, they are a strong nation, especially in the luxury segment.
In 2021, Vienna recorded a bed occupancy rate of 24 percent and a room occupancy rate of around 31 percent. The stock itself has also changed. The city’s accommodation statistics, published every year in October, stated that the number of beds on offer fell by eight percent in 2020, and by as much as 16 percent for hotels. Overall, there were 64 fewer companies.
Eleven new hotels
The declines were mainly registered in smaller three- and four-star accommodations and in pensions. At the same time, eleven new hotels with a total of 3,400 beds have opened. The offer in the five-star category remained unchanged. According to the current planning status, Vienna Tourism estimates that in two years there could even be more beds than before the pandemic due to newly opened houses.
“Vienna’s accommodation facilities were closed to leisure tourism for almost half a year last year – under these conditions, the industry cannot draw an economically satisfactory balance,” said Tourism Director Norbert Kettner: “I am convinced that Vienna’s city tourism will return quickly as soon as we get out of the held hostage to the pandemic.”
City extended funding
City Councilor for Economic Affairs Peter Hanke (SPÖ) is also hoping for normalization, even if the way out of the crisis will take longer, as he emphasized in a statement. “In view of the clear signs of recovery in tourism in Vienna in the second half of 2021, which were slowed down again by the fourth wave in autumn, an upturn can only be expected from the second quarter.” The city, he asserted, would not let the industry go down. For example, the start-up funding for accommodation establishments has been extended, he emphasized.