Tourism boom: Asian and American guests flood Austria!

Tourism boom: Asian and American guests flood Austria!

Austria's tourism is booming thanks to the increasing number of Asian and American guests who are giving the domestic market a breath of fresh air. In 2024, around 2.38 million overnight stays by American guests were recorded, an increase of 14 percent compared to the previous year. Chinese holidaymakers contributed a remarkable increase of 90 percent with 654,000 overnight stays. More and more tourists are also coming from Latin America, especially from Mexico and Brazil, which is reflected in 571,000 overnight stays. Canadian guests contributed to the positive development with 383,000 overnight stays, which represents growth of 19 percent compared to 2023. The total number of overnight stays in Austria in 2024 was 154.3 million.

However, despite these strong numbers, there are challenges. How vol.at reports, value creation in tourism remains under pressure. European guests, mainly from Austria and Germany, are showing increasing savings behavior due to high inflation and economic uncertainty. These countries are severely affected by an economic downturn. For example, vacationers tend to choose cheaper accommodations and plan shorter trips.

Premium tourism and the challenge of costs

However, those responsible in the tourism industry are specifically targeting guests from overseas who are willing to pay more for their stay. Asian guests spend an average of 392 euros per day, while North American guests spend around 341 euros and Latin American guests spend 296 euros per day. This is almost twice as much as the average European guest, who only spends about half of that. How courier.at adds, the motto for Asian travelers is “class over quantity”. These guests prefer premium vacations and travel even in low season.

The need to diversify the source markets is becoming more urgent in order to strengthen the tourism sector in Austria. President of the Austrian Hotel Association (ÖHV) warns that rising costs are not keeping pace with income. Measures such as de-bureaucratization and a labor market offensive are required to improve the economic efficiency of the sector.

The planned expansion as a year-round destination

Austria is actively promoted as a high-quality all-year-round destination in markets such as China and the USA. The goal is to increase both the number of guests and their spending. The focus on adventure travel sets the offer apart from classic “bucket lists” and can strengthen domestic tourism in the long term. But in order to achieve unbroken success, the structures of the tourism market in Austria must be adapted to meet the new requirements and expectations.