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Austria A-Z

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about Austria – especially if you work in the travel industry.

Austria is one of Europe’s leading tourism destinations, with over 157 million overnight stays per year. As a holiday destination, Austria stands for alpine nature, cultural highlights, high-quality infrastructure and authentic cuisine. Whether skiing in winter, swimming in summer, or enjoying culture and cuisine year-round, Austria offers a wide variety of nature, culture and active holiday experiences – 365 days a year.

Austria at a glance
Population9.2 million (as of 1 January 2026)
CapitalVienna (2.0 million inhabitants)
Time zoneCentral European Time (UTC +1)
LanguageGerman
EU membersince 1995
CurrencyEuro

Economy and Tourism

Tourism is one of Austria’s most important economic sectors and makes a significant contribution to value creation and employment in the country.

Gross domestic product (GDP)

€512.8 billion (2025, Statistics Austria)

Tourism contribution to GDP

4.2% (2023, Statistics Austria)

Overnight stays

157.3 million (2025, Statistics Austria)

Global market share (international arrivals)

2.2% (2024, UN Tourism)

Employment in tourism

around 306,700 (2024, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber)

Bed capacity

1.1 million (2025, Statistics Austria)

Why Austria

No other holiday destination offers such a unique combination of nature, culture, cuisine and high-quality tourism. What sets Austria apart:

  • Diverse natural landscapes with outdoor experiences in summer, winter and the off-season

  • Historic cities and cultural highlights spanning music, architecture and history

  • High-quality tourism infrastructure and reliable service standards

  • Excellent accessibility by rail, road and air via six international airports: Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, Linz and Klagenfurt

  • Safety. Austria ranks fourth worldwide in the annual Global Peace Index (GPI) by the Institute for Economics and Peace

  • Tradition, regional cuisine and Austria’s unique Lebensgefühl

A diverse climate

At a latitude of 47 degrees North, the Austrian climate is moderate and generally agreeable, with warm summers and cold winters. Temperatures depend largely on altitude.

With an average annual precipitation of around 1,100 mm, Austria is one of the most water-rich countries in Europe.

Ski infrastructure

Austria’s state-of-the-art ski infrastructure is among the best in the world. Every year, the country’s cable car operators invest millions in the operation and modernisation of their facilities.

Lift systems

Over 2,500 Ski lifts and cable cars

Slopes

More than 23,700 hectares of ski slopes

Snow reliability

Over 75% of slopes can be artificially snowed

Sustainable snowmaking

90% of energy from renewable sources

High guest satisfaction

90% would recommend their ski resort

Ski school network

707 ski schools and 18,000 ski instructors

Austria’s federal provinces

Each of Austria’s nine federal provinces has its own character. An overview of the provinces.

Entry to Austria

Citizens of EU and EEA countries as well as Switzerland do not require a visa to enter or stay in Austria.

Citizens of more than 60 non-EU countries can enter the Schengen Area – and therefore Austria – without a visa.

Visa-required countries (German)

The EES is the EU’s digital border control system and has been in force since October 2025. It records relevant data each time non-EU citizens enter or leave the Schengen Area. The traditional stamping of passports is replaced by an electronic register.

EU EES information page

ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is the EU’s new electronic travel authorisation system, expected to come into force in the fourth quarter of 2026. It applies to visa-exempt non-EU nationals, who will need to obtain travel authorisation online before their trip.

EU ETIAS information page
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