"Easter brought a resurgence of Viennese tourism," says Dominic Schmid, chairman of the specialist group for hotels in the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, drawing a positive balance for the first time in a long time.

The Viennese hotels were very well booked over the long weekend, 85 to 90 percent of the rooms were occupied. “According to current forecasts, we will achieve around 55 percent capacity utilization for the whole of April. That still doesn't cover costs, but it's a step in the right direction," says Schmid.

Schmid is convinced that the opening steps were also responsible for the Easter boom in the Viennese hotel industry: “The fact that Vienna has now also relaxed the rules can be measured very quickly by concrete booking figures. And also in the atmosphere in the houses, guests and employees are more relaxed and relaxed again, the fun of traveling has returned". It should also be noted that leisure and holiday travelers in particular are currently visiting the federal capital, while business travelers are still missing. Schmid: "We see good reservations for the weekends, during the week the occupancy is still low". 

However, Schmid assumes that business travelers will return in the course of the next few months: “Business tourism needs time to start up and planning security. It will be a while before trust is restored. Some experts assume that we will only reach the pre-corona level for business travelers in 2024".

Therefore, the prospects for the next few months are still somewhat subdued, for May and June the industry is currently assuming 60 to 65 percent capacity utilization. Schmid: “So far, business travelers accounted for around 45 percent of overnight stays in Vienna. So we need to win back this customer segment. And the key to this is planning in good time for the autumn, including what measures are to be taken."