
Floods and storms in parts of Austria in mid-September hit the tourism sector hard, causing overnight stays in hotels, guesthouses, and holiday rentals to fall by 7.4% across the country compared to the same month last year, down to 11.3 million, Statistik Austria reported on Thursday.
Despite this slump, summer overnight figures have since reached record highs.
“The ongoing summer season is still showing a positive balance with a 0.3% increase compared to last year’s season, marking the best result since 1981,” Statistik Austria Director Tobias Thomas said in a press release.
For the summer season so far in 2024 (May to September), a total of 72.48 million overnight stays were recorded. Overnight stays by international visitors rose to 51.72 million (+0.7%), while domestic guests accounted for 20.76 million (-0.7%). In terms of arrivals, 23.09 million visitors (+1.7%) were recorded.
Overnight trends varied across accommodation types this summer: “The 5- and 4-star segments, as well as commercial holiday rentals, saw the largest increases, with growth of 3.1% and 4.8%, respectively,” explained State Secretary for Tourism Susanne Kraus-Winkler in a written statement. However, the 3-star category and private rentals saw declines, with overnight stays down by 3% and 6.1%, respectively.
Looking towards the autumn holiday season, Hans Spreitzhofer, chairman of the hospitality division of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ), expressed a “cautiously optimistic” outlook: “We are pleased with the booking situation and also see that autumn holidays have gained tremendous importance in recent years,” he said in a press release. “This year, the fantastic weather and resulting last-minute bookings are playing perfectly into our hands.”
Up to September this year, Statistik Austria recorded 126.98 million overnight stays, an increase of 1.06 million (+0.8%) over the same period last year. Despite positive overnight figures and “a strong booking situation” for the 2024/2025 winter season, WKÖ representative Spreitzhofer pointed to economic pressures: “Strong overnight numbers alone don’t guarantee the financial stability of businesses,” he stressed. “What’s crucial is operational profitability, which has already fallen by 2 to 4 percentage points in 2023 compared to 2022.”