South Tyrol: Tourism is booming despite price explosions – records in danger!

South Tyrol: Tourism is booming despite price explosions – records in danger!

In recent decades, South Tyrol has developed into one of the most popular holiday destinations in Italy. With its impressive mountain landscapes, picturesque wine-growing regions and culinary delicacies such as dumplings and Kaiserschmarrn, the region is attracting more and more tourists. In 2024, South Tyrol recorded over 8.7 million guests, which represents a massive increase of 2,500 percent compared to 1950, when only around 330,000 holidaymakers visited the region. The number of overnight stays has also increased from around 1.82 million in 1950 to over 37 million in 2024, an increase of 1,930 percent, reports derwesten.de.

What is particularly striking is the trend that since 2003 the number of arrivals has increased faster than the number of overnight stays, which indicates shorter holiday stays. Merano was once the most popular destination, but after the 1990s, Selva di Val Gardena overtook the city in terms of overnight stays. From the 2000s onwards, Castelrotto became the leading destination with 1.78 million overnight stays in 2024. In contrast, Neumarkt recorded a dramatic decline in the number of overnight stays by 52.2 percent over the same period.

Record numbers in tourism

The past tourism year 2022/23 was once again record-breaking for South Tyrol. Over 8.4 million guests booked at least one overnight stay, and the number of overnight stays exceeded the 36 million mark for the first time. There are currently 11,747 accommodation establishments with a total of 241,624 beds available to tourists. It is noteworthy that overnight stays by domestic guests remain stable at 10.6 million, while the number of guests from Germany rose to 17.4 million, accounting for 48.3 percent of total overnight stays suedtirolnews.it reported.

A specific increase of 9,438 beds compared to the previous year can be seen, with the largest increase in private accommodation. In South Tyrol, 64 percent of beds are in hospitality establishments, while 36 percent are offered in non-hospitality establishments. The highest density of accommodation establishments can be found in Meran, followed by Tyrol and Ortisei.

Price increase and international guests

Despite the positive development in the tourism sector, the past year was not without challenges. An explosion in the price of toilet paper caused discontent among locals and holidaymakers. Nevertheless, the proportion of international guests remains stable and shows strong growth - the number of guests from Asia rose by 78.5 percent, with also notable increases from the USA (36.2 percent) and Poland (30.2 percent).

The longest length of stay was recorded by guests from Africa with 6.6 days, followed by Luxembourg and Poland. In summer 2023, there was a slight decrease in the number of overnight stays of 1.1 percent compared to the previous year, while winter overnight stays increased by 19.2 percent.

Overall, South Tyrol remains a dynamic travel destination that impresses with its exclusive landscape and the variety of leisure activities in both the summer and winter seasons.