74.1 Million Overnight Stays: Tourism Summer Near Record Level

This year's summer season was extremely successful for Austria's tourism businesses. According to Statistics Austria, 74.1 million overnight stays were recorded between May and September – an increase of 2.1 percent compared to the previous year. Only in the early 1980s were the numbers higher.

Increase in Overnight Stays in September

The number of holiday guests rose to 23.7 million, about two-thirds of whom were from abroad. Austria was particularly in demand towards the end of the season: In September, 12.2 million overnight stays were recorded – an increase of 7.2 percent. 71 percent of these were from foreign guests.

In total, around 4.1 million people stayed in domestic accommodations that month, about 2.7 million of whom were from abroad. The number of domestic guests also increased by 4.9 percent.

In the current monthly comparison, it should be noted, "that the very rainy September 2024 with floods and storms had massive impacts on the population, businesses, and overnight stays," reminded Georg Imlauer, chairman of the Hotel Industry Association in the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKÖ), of the extremely challenging weather conditions a year ago.

Tyrol Remains the Tourism Leader

The most overnight stays were in Tyrol (20.8 million), followed by Salzburg (13.4 million) as well as Vienna and Carinthia (each 8.9 million). Salzburg recorded the largest increase with 4.6 percent, while Burgenland grew by 3.5 percent. Carinthia and Lower Austria experienced slight declines.

Germany Largest Group of Tourists from Abroad

Even throughout the entire calendar year, an upward trend is evident, albeit less pronounced: From January to September, 128.3 million overnight stays were recorded – an increase of 1 percent. The majority, 95.8 million, were from guests from abroad.

Main source markets remained Germany (48.6 million overnight stays), the Netherlands (9.7 million), Switzerland including Liechtenstein (3.5 million), and the Czech Republic (3.4 million).

Increasing Bookings, Decreasing Revenues

"Austrian tourism is developing steadily despite challenges," stated Tourism State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner on Wednesday in a press release. "This is encouraging and gives optimism for the coming months." Bookings for the autumn holidays this week are also stable. The off-season is becoming increasingly important. "Two-thirds of European summer vacationers plan trips outside of July and August - about one-third even exclusively in the pre- or post-season." The mood for the upcoming winter is also "good." "Austria has something to offer for every budget in winter," emphasized the politician. However, strong demand alone is not enough, she stressed.

WKÖ industry association chairman Imlauer echoed this sentiment: The operating results are under pressure despite good overnight developments. The overall assessment of the industry's economic situation clearly shows "that the increasing number of overnight stays alone does not yet enable successful business operations," he said, pointing to the "enormous increases in energy, food, and personnel costs over the years," which cannot be passed on to guests 1:1. This is "not possible" for nine out of ten businesses. "Thus, costs are rising faster than revenues - and operating results are declining." Despite increasing sales and overnight stays.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.