Austrian Court Rules Burkini Ban Discriminatory
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Austrian Court Rules Burkini Ban Discriminatory
- An Austrian court has ruled that a hotel's ban on burkinis in its swimming pool was discriminatory, upholding a €100 fine against the establishment.
- The Salzburg Regional Administrative Court made its ruling public in early July 2026, rejecting the hotel manager's appeal after two Muslim women were denied pool access in autumn 2025.
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An Austrian court has declared a hotel’s ban on burkinis in its swimming pool to be discriminatory, a decision made public in early July 2026. The ruling by the Salzburg Regional Administrative Court upheld a €100 fine against the hotel located in St. Johann im Pongau, a ski resort in western Austria. The case originated in autumn 2025, when two Austrian Muslim women were prevented from using the hotel’s pool because they were wearing burkinis, full-body swimsuits.
The hotel manager had argued that the burkinis were unhygienic and made other guests uncomfortable. However, the court dismissed these claims, stating that burkinis are made from the same materials as other swimwear and that routine water quality checks at the hotel found no irregularities. The court also noted that hotel staff reportedly told the women they should adhere to “Austrian customs” and suggested burkinis were more appropriate in Saudi Arabia, which the court considered direct discrimination on religious grounds.
Local authorities initially fined the hotel €100 in February 2026, which the hotel manager then appealed. The court rejected this appeal in late June 2026 as “unfounded” and ordered the hotel to pay an additional €20 to