Lower Austria steps up push for international tourists

Lower Austria plans to attract more international holidaymakers and add 500 four-star guest beds over the next four to five years, ORF reported, as the state unveiled its Tourism Strategy 2030+ on Tuesday.

Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner said the strategy aims to create experiences through higher-quality tourism and strengthen the state’s international profile. The Lower Austria tourism board plans to focus more on markets including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. Visitors from those countries currently account for about 688,000 overnight stays a year, with the strategy aiming to add 100,000 by 2030.

Marketing will highlight nature and outdoor activities as well as wine travel. The “Selected Stays” initiative, which promotes distinctive accommodation such as chalets and castles, has been well received, Mikl-Leitner said. Of the state’s 81,650 guest beds, about 15,750 are in four-star accommodation.

The strategy also aims to position Lower Austria as a year-round destination through day trips, holidays, health tourism and business travel. Projects to support sustainable public transport are planned for holiday regions including the Semmering and Rax area and the Wachau.

Guest registration, tourism tax accounting and tourism statistics are to be digitised. A pilot project is due to begin in 2028, with full implementation planned from 2029. The state will also increase the share of eligible investment costs covered by the NÖBEG financing model from 30 to 50 percent.

Wolfgang Ecker, president of the Lower Austrian Economic Chamber, said the strategy focuses on businesses’ competitiveness and profitability. He described conditions for the tourism sector as challenging and called for affordable energy, lower payroll-related costs and less bureaucracy.

Overnight stays in Lower Austria fell 2 percent from January to the end of August this year, while Austria recorded a 1.5 percent increase compared with the same period last year. In 2025, Lower Austria recorded 7.3 million overnight stays, down 0.3 percent, and about 3 million arrivals, down 0.4 percent. The article said temporary closures for investment in quality and modernisation accounted for a substantial share of the declines.