The EU enacts new policies and regulations
Vienna: The Charming City that's Managing Tourist Boom
In a world where some cities are grappling with the negative effects of over-tourism, Vienna, the supposedly most livable city on the planet, is handling its surge in visitors quite differently. The city square, St. Stephen's, and the renowned Schönbrunn Palace are teeming with tourists, but compared to the chaos in Barcelona, Dubrovnik, or Rome, Vienna remains a breeze.
Unlike these over-touristed cities, Vienna is strategic in its approach. Rather than simply pursuing volume-driven growth, the city has rolled out a new strategic framework titled ‘Optimum Tourism.’ This initiative aims to balance the satisfaction of visitors with the quality of life for residents by:
- Achieving a harmonious balance between resident and visitor satisfaction
- Attracting two-thirds of its visitors to match a "desired visitor" profile, focusing on cultural tourism, meetings, and luxury segments
- Encouraging shared responsibility and destination stewardship with local residents
- Implementing flexible actions and stricter rules in public spaces to ensure sustainability
This strategic choice enables Vienna to focus on high-value tourism while maintaining the loyalty of its local residents. Conversely, cities like Barcelona, Dubrovnik, and Rome are battling over-crowding, strained infrastructure, and resident protests. In Barcelona, for instance, the government has taken steps to control tourism pressure by targeting short-term rentals such as Airbnb properties (66,000).
While hotels account for a significant portion of overnight stays in Vienna, the city manages this growth within its strategic framework. On the other hand, rapid hotel growth in cities like Rome and Barcelona is intensifying overtourism, with hotels accounting for nearly 80% of overnight stays in Europe's most visited urban centers. Cities like Dubrovnik are grappling with the consequences of tourism-induced infrastructure stress and calls for stricter tourism containment are becoming louder.
Ultimately, Vienna stands out as a model for balancing tourism growth with resident needs and sustainability. Meanwhile, cities like Barcelona, Rome, and Dubrovnik continue to address the fallout from overtourism, implementing crackdowns and tourism containment plans to reduce its impacts.
In this strategic approach, Vienna aims to attract a significant portion of its visitors towards cultural tourism, embracing a lifestyle that includes travel experiences. By focusing on high-value tourism, Vienna seeks to preserve the quality of life for its residents, contrasting the challenges faced by cities like Barcelona, Dubrovnik, and Rome.
