Austrian tourism businesses to get €100 million in favourable financing under EIB accord with bank OeHT

• EIB teams up with Austrian leisure-industry lender ÖHT in €100 million financing initiative to support Austria’s tourism sector
• EIB loan of €50 million to be matched by ÖHT and channelled to small and medium-sized enterprises including hotels
• Financing to include favourable terms, with 30% dedicated to climate actions such as energy efficiency

Austrian tourism businesses including hotels will be eligible for as much as €100 million in favourable financing as a result of a new commitment by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB is lending €50 million to the Austrian Hotel and Tourism Bank, or OeHT, which will channel the credit to a range of operators and match the sum. The funds will be deployed under the Federal Commercial Tourism Promotion Scheme, which the OeHT administers on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism (BMWET).  

The goal is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Austria’s tourism industry, which accounts directly or indirectly for around 14% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Of the financing total, 30% will be dedicated to climate actions including energy-efficiency improvements.

The operation aims to support Austrian businesses in the hospitality sector, such as family-run hotels that provide accommodation amid a tighter loan market and higher energy and labour costs. The financing will include an interest rate rebate.

“This agreement makes it easier for SMEs to access capital,” emphasized EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer. “Through partnerships like this, we help businesses invest in quality, modernization and sustainability – thereby safeguarding value creation across all regions of Austria.”

Austria’s tourism sector supports around 678,000 jobs in the country. It had a record year in 2025 with more than 157 million overnight stays and is posting significant growth in the current winter season.

OeHT Managing Director Matthias Matzer also underlined the strategic importance of the loans: “This enables us to support hundreds of businesses with investments that might otherwise have been postponed. For us, sustainability is not a buzzword but a clear mandate for the future of tourism.”

“The OeHT ensures through subsidized financing that the strategic objectives of tourism policy reach the operational level. I am particularly pleased that the EIB continues to stand as a strong partner alongside the OeHT and thus the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Ultimately, these supported investments are significant not only for tourism, but also for regional value creation and Austria as a business location as a whole,” highlighted State Secretary for Tourism Elisabeth Zehetner.

The new financing agreement builds on 30 years of cooperation between the EIB and ÖHT aimed at supporting the development of a key pillar of the Austrian economy.

Background information  

EIB Group  

The European Investment Bank (ElB) Group is the long-term financing institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion of new financing for over 870 high-impact projects in eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investment union. High-quality, up-to-date photos of the organisation’s headquarters for media use are available here.

The Austrian Hotel and Tourism Bank GmbH (OeHT) has been the national point of contact for funding and financing in the tourism and leisure industry since 1947. It is owned by Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG and Raiffeisen ÖHT Beteiligungs GmbH. Since 1996, OeHT has administered the federal commercial tourism funding program on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism. Its mission is to help shape Austria’s tourism sector in an innovative, sustainable, and competitive way. OeHT offers attractive financing and funding solutions as instruments for implementing investment projects, providing start-up support for new businesses, and stabilizing companies. Key thematic priorities include the green transformation of tourism, ensuring successful business successions, and enhancing the attractiveness of tourism as an employer.