Tyrol's tourism: light and shadow in the 2024/25 winter season!

Tyrol's tourism: light and shadow in the 2024/25 winter season!

The 2024/25 winter season shows a mixed picture in the Tyrolean tourism industry. The current analysis shows that the season ended with a slight plus, but not without challenges. Loud meinkreis.at The season got off to a strong start, with the first quarter in particular seeing a pleasing increase in arrivals and overnight stays. Significant growth was recorded between November and January: arrivals increased by 2.7% to 6.1 million, while overnight stays increased by 1.4% to 26.4 million.

However, the second half of the season presented a challenge. The region was faced with a lack of natural snow, mild temperatures and the absence of a leap day. These factors meant that the upswing trend from the first half could not be maintained. Nevertheless, the later Easter date caused a surge in demand, which had a positive impact on the season.

Economic situation and earnings situation

The State Tourism Councilor Mario Gerber praised the efforts of the hosts and their employees, but also pointed out the companies' tense earnings situation. Despite stable demand, 40% of businesses still report that they were able to pass on increased costs to their guests. The tourism value added for the season amounted to 3.6 billion euros, which corresponds to a slight decrease of 0.3% when adjusted for inflation. These figures make it clear that arrivals and overnight stays are only one side of the coin, and that the economic challenges remain significant.

Looking at the various origin markets, it can be seen that Germany remains the most stable market with 13.4 million overnight stays. An increase of 4.6% in overnight stays from the Netherlands and 3.5% from Austria was recorded. However, there were declines in overnight stays from the UK (-0.6%), Belgium (-2.6%) and Switzerland (-3.8%).

Adaptability and future prospects

Karin Seiler, managing director of Tirol Advertising, emphasizes the adaptability of Tyrolean tourism. Skiing remains a key offering, making up around 80% of tourism offerings. Nevertheless, additional offers such as winter hiking, wellness and culinary delights are becoming increasingly important. Given the weather-related challenges, low-lying regions in particular have been negatively affected, requiring a strategic focus on year-round tourism.

The estimates for the coming summer season are optimistic. A survey shows that 75% of accommodation companies are satisfied with the booking situation. 92% of companies from Germany are particularly confident about an equally good or better booking situation. In addition, 50% of companies expect sales to remain stable, while 28% expect sales to increase. An increase in summer prices compared to last year is also forecast.

Overall, it can be seen that Tyrol's tourism demonstrated its strengths and adaptability even in a challenging season. The objective for the future remains clear: to further expand the tourist offerings and respond to the needs of guests in order to continue to position the region as a popular holiday destination in the future. Further details on the analysis can be found at presse.tirol.at.