Tourism 2024: Record arrivals, but economic brakes for Austria!

Tourism 2024: Record arrivals, but economic brakes for Austria!

The 2024/25 winter season shows a mixed outcome for Austrian tourism. From November to March, Austria recorded a record number of arrivals with 17.8 million guests. Nevertheless, a slight decline in overnight stays was recorded, falling by 0.6 percent to 64.1 million overnight stays. Compared to the 2018/19 pre-crisis season, this decline is even 0.9 percent. The numbers are heavily influenced by calendar effects, in particular the leap day in February 2024 and the different location of the Easter holidays, which took place in April in 2025 and in March in 2024.

However, a calendar-adjusted analysis shows an increase in overnight stays of 4.7 percent, while nominal travel sales increased by 7.4 percent, but in real terms only by 2.3 percent. Local tourism relies heavily on domestic guests, whose overnight stays increased by 0.6 percent. On the other hand, demand from abroad fell by 1 percent. This can partly be attributed to high inflation, which is severely dampening guests' willingness to spend - for example, with a price increase of 6 percent in restaurants and 5.5 percent in accommodation.

Forecast and economic impact

A significant increase in demand is expected in the industry in April due to the Easter holidays, which could result in a total of around 72 million overnight stays for the 2024/25 winter season. This figure would represent an increase of 1.3 percent year-on-year, but remains 1.2 percent below the 2018/19 level. For the whole of 2025, around 154.6 million overnight stays are expected, which corresponds to a minimal increase of 0.2 percent compared to 2024.

Despite the increase in overnight stays and arrivals, the economic contribution of tourism remains below expectations. The price-adjusted gross value added in the accommodation and catering industry fell by 3.9 percent, while overall economic output fell by 1.4 percent. This suggests that the tourism sector did not act as an economic driver in 2024, but rather as a slight brake on the economy. Analysis shows that without the sector's negative contribution, GDP would have only fallen by 1.3 percent.

Demands for international orientation

The Austrian Hotel Association (ÖHV) has repeatedly called for greater internationalization of domestic tourism. This measure could help increase the economic performance of the sector and reduce dependence on domestic guests. Current developments highlight the challenges facing the industry, particularly given economic uncertainties and cautious consumer spending.

Overall, the 2024/25 winter season offers hope for some positive developments, while at the same time the economic hurdles should not be underestimated. A stable outlook for the coming months may need to be adjusted to the economic circumstances in order to sustainably promote demand.

For more detailed information you can consult the reports from meinkreis.at and wifo.ac.at be consulted.