South Tyrol shows record numbers: Tourism is booming despite the toilet paper panic!

South Tyrol shows record numbers: Tourism is booming despite the toilet paper panic!

South Tyrol is enjoying increasing popularity as a holiday destination. The region, known for its impressive mountain landscapes, wine-growing areas and traditional dishes such as dumplings and Kaiserschmarrn, is attracting more and more guests. According to the State Institute for Statistics (ASTAT), the number of guests has increased from around 330,000 in 1950 to over 8.7 million in 2024, which corresponds to a remarkable increase of around 2,500 percent. This is also accompanied by a huge increase in overnight stays, which rose from around 1.82 million in 1950 to more than 37 million in 2024.

What is particularly striking is that the number of arrivals has been increasing faster than the number of overnight stays since 2003. This indicates that visitors stay for shorter periods of time. The most popular destinations in South Tyrol have changed over the years. While Merano used to be at the top with almost 350,000 overnight stays in 1950, Castelrotto has taken the lead since the 2000s and reached a record 1.78 million overnight stays in 2024. In contrast, Neumarkt recorded a 52.2 percent decline in overnight stays over the same period.

Record numbers in tourism

The 2022/23 tourism year was exceptionally successful for South Tyrol. Over 8.4 million guests booked at least one overnight stay, and overnight stays exceeded the 36 million mark for the first time. A total of 11,747 accommodation facilities with 241,624 beds are available in the region. The number of domestic guests remained constant at 10.6 million, while the number of overnight stays by German guests increased to 17.4 million.

• Bettenangebot nach Kategorie:
• 61.327 Betten in Drei-Sterne-Betrieben
• 45.506 Betten in Vier- und Fünf-Sterne-Betrieben
• 3.285 Betriebe bieten sechs oder weniger Betten an

What is interesting is the increase in the number of beds by 9,438 compared to the previous year, with a majority of 64% in hospitality and 36% in non-hospitality businesses. Merano has the highest accommodation density with 303.3 beds per km², followed by other well-known places such as Tyrol, Ortisei and Corvara. Castelrotto leads with the largest number of beds available at 9,487 beds.

Guest returns and international attractiveness

The average length of stay varies greatly depending on the origin of the guests. Visitors from Africa stay for an average of 6.6 days, while guests from Luxembourg, Poland and Germany are also among the longest-staying holidaymakers. There is also a noticeable increase in guests from Asia (78.5%), the USA (36.2%) and from EU countries such as Slovenia and Poland. The constantly growing popularity of South Tyrol is also reflected in the increasing number of guests from Great Britain.

But not everything is going smoothly: Last year there was a controversial price explosion for toilet paper, which caused discontent and fueled the discussion about pricing in the tourism sector. Despite these challenges, the trend for tourism in South Tyrol remains positive.

For further details on the development of tourism in South Tyrol, the reports from The West and South Tyrol News be consulted.