Tourism in Austria is not a recent development, but rather a long tradition of hospitality. Already in the 19th century Austria has been a preferred travel destination for visitors from near and far.

While the Austrian Tourist Office is not quite as old, our organization can look back to a long history. During 1945/46, A division within the Austrian National Travel Agency (Verkehrsbüro) was given the task to evaluate the condition of Austrian hotels and restaurants after WWII, becoming a precursor to the Austrian Tourist Office. In 1955 die Austrian Tourist Office was founded with the specific task of promoting Austria as a travel destination abroad.

In 1974 the organization added the promotion to travel within Austria to its tasks.

Since 2006, Dr. Petra Stolba is CEO of the Austrian Tourist Office.