Income 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, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Numerator:
Net income attributable to Viad (diluted)		$ (4,049)	$ 33,792	$ 19,509	$ (6,983)	$ (957)	$ 7,230	$ 22,389	$ (2,056)	$ 42,269	$ 26,606	$ 52,354
Less: Allocation to non-vested shares										(571)	(385)	(970)
Net income allocated to Viad common stockholders (basic)										$ 41,698	$ 26,221	$ 51,384
Denominator:
Basic weighted-average outstanding common shares										19,990	19,797	19,804
Additional dilutive shares related to share-based compensation										187	184	329
Diluted weighted-average outstanding shares										20,177	19,981	20,133
Basic income attributable to Viad common stockholders										$ 2.09	$ 1.32	$ 2.59
Diluted income attributable to Viad common stockholders	[1]									$ 2.09	$ 1.32	$ 2.59

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