This is a best prospect industry sector for this country. Includes a market overview and trade data.
Last Published: 7/9/2019

Overview

The United States remains one of the most popular long-haul destinations outside Europe in 2018 for Austrian travelers, and this trend is expected to continue in 2019. Austria ranks 40th worldwide for overall arrivals to the United States with a total of 201,733 Austrians visitors in 2018, a 1.5% increase compared to 2017.  Over 70% traveled for pleasure with the remainder visiting the United States for business or educational purposes. 

 201620172018
Total Arrivals of Austrian to the United States199,332198,713201,733



Source: National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO): http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/about/overview.asp

Austrian travelers to the United States typically stay around 10-13 days with travel most concentrated in the summer (June- September) and during the Christmas holidays. Almost 50% of all leisure travel takes place during the summer school vacation months of July and August.  Many Austrians prefer to book their travel at least 3 months in advance. Most of them choose holiday packages for lower cost, ease of planning and with travel insurance to minimize risks of travel. These packages range from short city trips for shopping and cultural events, to comprehensive guided tours, or outdoor adventure travel.

As part of the U.S. Government’s Visa Waiver Program, Austrian citizens may be eligible to travel to the United States without a visa, but instead through the Travel Authorization (ESTA) system, which needs to be completed several days in advance of travel. English is widely spoken and is not generally a barrier for Austrian travel to the United States. 

The most popular U.S. destinations for Austrian tourists are New York, Florida, California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas and the national parks located throughout the country. Many leisure travelers visit recreational places such as Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World theme parks. Austrians also enjoy city sightseeing, visiting cultural and historical places and combining tours with outdoor activities such as water sports and golfing. Travel industry representatives see increased interest in adventure travel to Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico. In addition, repeat travelers are increasing choosing to visit new destinations such as New England, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia, the Great Lakes and Hawaii. In fact, new destinations are priority for the familiarization visit being organized by the VisitUSA Committee Austria with the 2019 visit scheduled for the Great Lakes.  

The top Austrian tour operators TUI and Thomas Cooke are German-owned and together dominate around 50% of the market. Tour operators and travel agencies promote extensively. Tour operators have been successful so far in competing with packaged air travel, hotels, and car rentals at very competitive prices due to their annual purchasing power. Many online booking engines with user-friendly smartphone apps are also being widely used for easier price comparison and quicker completion of the booking process.

Austrian Airlines (Star Alliance) and Emirates provide direct flights between Vienna and the United States, with the majority of travelers using either the Star Alliance Group (Austria/Luftansa/United) or British Airways/American Airlines.   Many additional airlines transit through neighboring European cities en route to the United States.

Potential challenges to continued growth in Austrian travel to the U.S. include increased competition from alternative destinations such as:  South East Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Africa.  While the dollar-euro exchange rate is currently stable, euro value changes in the future could also affect the current positive trend of  U.S. travel for Austrian visitors. 
 

Opportunities

  • Package Tours (through agencies and on-line bookings)
  • New U.S. destinations for Austrian visitors (beyond major cities in top destinations of New York, Florida, California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas)
  • Adventure travel to outdoor desinations


Trade Shows

Ferienmesse Wien
Jan. 16 – 19, 2020
Website: http://www.ferien-messe.at/en/
Ferien-Messe is an annual international event for holidays, travel and leisure targetting the public and offering diverse infotainment with more than 800 exhibitors from over 70 countries presenting popular holiday destinations, best kept secrets, recommended means of travelling, an entire range of leisure activities and tailor-made holidays.
 

Web Resources

Statistik Austria
http://www.statistik.at
National Travel and Tourism Office NTTO
http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/
Visit USA Committee
https://www.visit-usa.at
Electronic System for Travel Authorization ESTA
https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

CS Contact
Robee Sallegue, Commercial Assistant
U.S. Commercial Service – Austria
Robee.Sallegue@trade.gov
+43-1-31339-2203

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.