Anyone looking for a hotel room in Vienna next week during the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) will still find plenty of choice in all price ranges on major booking platforms. Capacity utilization is currently around 70 percent, and the big rush that many expected has so far failed to materialize. Does that cause disappointment? “No, not at all,” said Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger, managing director of the tourism marketing organization Österreichwerbung (ÖW) at a press conference on Wednesday. “We are using the ESC stage to draw global attention to Vienna and Austria and to appeal to a younger target group. The momentum next week is great, but we see the ESC as a long-term booster for demand.”
