Austria has almost as many summer guests this year as before the corona pandemic in 2019. From May to July, 37 million overnight stays were recorded. Most holidaymakers come from the European Union, a third come from Germany.
This is apparent from preliminary data from Statistics Austria on Friday. “After two difficult summers for tourism, the first half of the 2022 summer peak season was once again particularly busy,” said Tobias Thomas, Director General of Statistics Austria. From May to July, domestic lodging companies recorded 37 million overnight stays. That was only 4.6 percent less than in the same period of 2019 and significantly more than in the previous year.
Two thirds of overnight stays (24.8 million) were accounted for by guests from abroad, 12.2 million (one third) by holidaymakers from Germany. The clear majority (84.8 percent) of foreign holidaymakers came from the European Union, a small part from Asia.
Compared to the pandemic-free year 2019, domestic guests have increased slightly, while those from abroad have decreased slightly. Things looked even less rosy in winter and spring than in the mid-summer balance sheet.
staff shortages and inflation
The coming autumn may again be a challenge for the tourism sector. Industry representatives are noticing both the rise in prices and a shortage of staff. “In addition to the guests, it must be possible to get the workforce back into tourism. We want to help companies to position themselves even more strongly as attractive employers. The companies themselves are also making numerous adjustments here, for example with working hours,” said provincial councilor Jochen. Danninger of Lower Austria in a broadcast on Friday. For example, the federal government needs support in the event of rising energy costs.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
