Tourism Hits Record High This Summer

Tourism Hits Record High This Summer

Image: APA/dpa/Ina Fassbender

 

Austria’s summer tourism season in 2024 saw a record 81.59 million overnight stays, the highest number since records began in 1973, according to Statistik Austria.

The season, running from May to October, surpassed last year’s record of 80.93 million stays by 0.8%.

International Visitors Boost Numbers

The milestone was largely driven by international visitors, who made up 70.9% of all overnight stays. Their numbers rose by 1.3% to 57.81 million. In contrast, domestic travellers recorded a slight decline, down 0.4% to 23.78 million stays.

Tourist arrivals overall increased by 2.4% compared to summer 2023, with 26.36 million people visiting Austria.

“Austria is a globally popular tourist destination, and these remarkable figures show that we offer excellent service quality and great value,” said Tourism State Secretary Susanne Kraus-Winkler.

Germany Leads

Germany remained Austria’s biggest source of visitors, accounting for 31.66 million overnight stays, a modest increase of 0.2%. The Netherlands, in second place, saw a decline of 3.1% to 4.21 million stays, while visitors from Switzerland and Liechtenstein also dropped slightly by 0.3% to 2.48 million stays.

Other countries showed growth. Overnight stays from Czech visitors increased by 3% to 1.75 million, while Italy rose by 2.7% to 1.62 million. Visitors from the United States recorded a significant 15.3% jump to 1.49 million stays.

Challenges in Asian Markets

Despite the overall success, the Asian market continues to recover slowly. Chinese visitors accounted for just 421,000 overnight stays, well below the 966,000 recorded in 2019. This has prompted concerns about “overtourism” in popular destinations like Hallstatt.

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