After the restrictions due to the corona pandemic, holiday fun returned to this country last year. In 2022, Austrians undertook 25.29 million holiday and business trips, more than in the pre-crisis year 2019. Domestic holidaymakers in particular were attracted to Styria. Italy and Germany were popular for long-distance travel. Many people traveled by train instead of by car or plane.
“During the pandemic years, many stopped traveling or had to severely restrict it. Now, despite inflation, Austrians are excited to travel again: in 2022, almost five percent more holiday trips were made than before Corona, more than half of which were within Austria,” says Director General of Statistics Austria, Tobias Thomas.
More and more people started their journey by train: the share of train journeys rose to 15.1 percent, the highest value since registration began in 2006.
Vacationers were attracted to Styria
3.06 million of the 25.29 million trips were made for business reasons, which is 43.5 percent more than in 2021, but 15.6 percent less than in 2019. Despite an increase in holidays abroad compared to the last year, 52.4 percent of all travel was done domestically. Most went to Styria (19.9 percent), followed by Salzburg (14.9 percent) and Lower Austria (13.9 percent).
Holidays and visits to relatives are in great demand
In 2022, 34.2 percent of all travel was primarily for recreational holidays, with visiting family and acquaintances also remaining an important reason for more than a quarter of trips (27.6 percent). Compared to the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, holidays with the aim of culture, sightseeing and shopping, city trips or tours also became more popular: their share was 14.4 percent in 2022, compared to 9.1 percent in 2021 and 6.8 percent in 2020 However, the value lagged slightly behind the pre-Corona year 2019 (16 percent).
Long-distance trips to Italy, Germany and Croatia are popular
The statisticians named Italy, Germany and Croatia as the most popular destinations for holidays abroad. For commuting to work and to domestic destinations, the car remained the most used means of transport at 64 percent, despite the increase in rail traffic.
A total of 5.78 million Austrians aged 15 and older went on holiday last year. Of those who did not travel, more than half said they had no reason to travel. Almost every third person gave “health reasons or limited mobility” as a reason not to travel.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
