Income (Loss) Per Share - Reconciliation of Basic and Diluted Income Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Numerator:
Net income attributable to Viad (diluted)		$ (957)	$ 7,230	$ 22,389	$ (2,056)	$ (5,889)	$ 29,620	$ 6,742	$ 21,882	$ 26,606	$ 52,354	$ 21,555
Less: Allocation to non-vested shares										(385)	(970)	(485)
Net income allocated to Viad common stockholders (basic)										$ 26,221	$ 51,384	$ 21,070
Denominator:
Basic weighted-average outstanding common shares										19,797	19,804	19,850
Additional dilutive shares related to share-based compensation										184	329	415
Diluted weighted-average outstanding shares										19,981	20,133	20,265
Basic income attributable to Viad common stockholders										$ 1.32	$ 2.59	$ 1.06
Diluted income attributable to Viad common stockholders	[1]									$ 1.32	$ 2.59	$ 1.06

[1] Diluted income per share amount cannot exceed basic income per share.