Domestic Tourism Industry Expects Strong Winter Season

According to a survey, 16.5 million people from the ten largest source markets, including Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, plan to spend their winter holidays in Austria. These are positive prospects for the industry. Österreich Werbung CEO Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger emphasized the high satisfaction of guests at a press conference: 94 percent recommend Austria and 79 percent are regular visitors.

Tourism Industry Sees Tailwind for Winter Season

With already 116 million overnight stays from January to August, the highest value since records began in 1974 has been recorded this year. "This is indeed a tailwind with which we can start the winter season," emphasized Tourism State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner (ÖVP) on Monday at the joint press conference, which was also attended by the chairwoman of the Federal Division of Tourism and Leisure Industry in the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKÖ), Susanne Kraus-Winkler. Between 40 and 60 percent of those surveyed for the winter potential study have "money, time, and desire" for winter holidays, according to Zehetner. "More than half want to 'definitely travel' in the winter season." Including those who might travel, it amounts to about 74 percent. "These data are very encouraging."

Domestic Businesses Under Cost Pressure

At the same time, Zehetner also pointed out the ongoing challenges in the industry: "High bureaucracy, rising costs, and declining margins are already problems that our tourism businesses face daily," she noted. In the past three years, collective bargaining agreements for the gastronomy and hotel industry have increased wage costs by around 30 percent.

But the booking situation for the winter season starting on November 1st is fitting: "From the perspective of the businesses, the feedback from the federal states is predominantly positive," reported WKÖ federal sector chairwoman Kraus-Winkler, referring to the advance bookings for Christmas and New Year's Eve, as well as for February. "In the premium regions, the January slump no longer exists," highlighted the tourism expert, referring to the previously weak bookings in this month in earlier years.

"In the lower-lying destinations, it is still a bit of a challenge," she admitted. Winter vacationers want to see snow. "Two-thirds of the guests in winter come for skiing, around 40 percent are looking for other activities," she explained. Some regions are struggling with climate change, that is, with a lack of snow. Here, the approach should be "Less snow, more ideas." According to Steharnig-Staudinger, many are seeking deceleration and relaxation. "Wellness is on the rise."

Tendency to save is decreasing

The industry is encouraged by the lower tendency to save among vacationers, according to a survey. "The majority of winter guests want to spend the same or more in the coming season - only 12 percent plan to reduce their expenses," said Kraus-Winkler. In almost all areas, (slightly) fewer savings are planned than in the previous year. However, the willingness to spend has slightly decreased in terms of accommodation - here, a fifth of the respondents want to be more frugal this winter; for travel to and from the destination, it is 14 percent, and for package tours, it is 12 percent.

Overall, the most attention to spending in winter vacations is expected to be on restaurant and café visits (24 percent of respondents), shopping in the holiday region (21 percent), accommodation (20 percent), as well as souvenirs or gifts (also 20 percent). In the 12 months prior to the survey, most savings were made on going out, such as restaurant, café, and bar visits (41 percent), as well as on clothing (38 percent). This was followed by groceries (29 percent), electricity consumption (28 percent), and holiday travel (27 percent). For a third of Austrians (33 percent), their personal economic situation has worsened compared to the previous year (28 percent), while for a quarter (25 percent), it has improved again. A fifth of winter vacationers in Austria "want exclusive and premium," said Steharnig-Staudinger. For the survey, 1,000 people in ten countries (including Austria) were interviewed from August 28 to November 11, 2025.

(APA/Red)

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