The number of trips taken by holidaymakers from Austria between July and September has reached an all-time high for a third quarter, with 9.45 million holidays recorded, according to Statistik Austria.

This figure is the highest since records began in 2000, marking a 0.8% increase compared to the same period last year. At the same time, car travel dropped to its lowest share since 2006, suggesting a shift in transport preferences.

Cars Still in the Lead but Losing Ground

Despite the decline, cars remained the most popular mode of travel, used for 60.5% of all holidays during the period. Air travel, meanwhile, made a comeback to pre-pandemic levels, accounting for 19.7% of journeys.

Train travel also picked up speed, reaching 11.8% of all trips – its second-highest share on record. Travel by train within Austria was particularly popular, with nearly one in five (18.8%) domestic holidays taken by rail. For trips abroad, however, cars (49.5%) and planes (33.7%) continued to dominate, while buses (7.8%) were used more often than trains (6.7%).

More Holidays Abroad

More than half (57.9%) of holidays in the third quarter were spent abroad, with the remaining 42.1% taken within Austria. Traditional destinations continued to attract holidaymakers from Austria, with Italy leading the way (21.7%), followed by Croatia (15.7%), Germany (11.6%) and Greece (6.5%).

Long-distance travel also showed signs of recovery, accounting for 5% of all trips – the highest level since the pandemic, although still below the 6.5% recorded in 2019. The majority of holidays (69%) were organised privately.