Recent erratic weather, inflation and weak economic data are making for a mixed second half of the season in Austria. Depending on the region and the company, the process is assessed very differently. In any case, there is no longer any trace of euphoria.
For tourism, the summer started as if everything was just bliss: with 39.5 million overnight stays from May to July, the pre-Corona value from 2019 was exceeded by 6.1 percent. The high season in July started with a record high. There is already speculation that we are heading for new records.
But now there are some setbacks; a decline is expected for August. The storms halted departures and bookings in some parts of Carinthia and Salzburg. “It is now very mixed and varies per region,” says State Secretary for Tourism Susanne Kraus-Winkler, who has had many conversations with hoteliers. “Houses with many regular guests are fully booked for the autumn, otherwise many decisions will be made at shorter notice.”
Escaping heat waves and extreme rainfall definitely means that those who have the choice prefer to switch to the early or late season, according to Wifo expert Oliver Fritz.
The ‘price sensitivity’ is also increasing. Kraus-Winkler: “If someone tries to charge high season prices in September, he immediately notices that demand drops.” Further price increases are difficult, even though energy and personnel costs are still rising.
Throughout the year it can be seen that people save on extra expenses during their holidays. Fritz: “The desire to go on holiday is there, but less is consumed.” This puts financial pressure on companies, especially in the catering industry.
Vienna has once again caught up
One result of this is that holiday apartments and farm holidays are in high demand, says Kraus-Winkler. The differences per state are striking: Carinthia and Lower Austria have developed less well than others so far last summer (see graph), Vienna has made a lot of catch-up, although city tourism is still missing Asian guests.
But at peak times in the summer, familiar problems arise again: “hotspots” such as Hallstatt, Dürnstein or Salzburg City have to deal with a sometimes excessive flow of tourists. Some hiking trails or via ferratas are often overcrowded. Do we have too many holidaymakers in the country?
Management of visitor flows required in “a few days”.
“There are only a few days when the spatial and temporal concentration is unacceptable,” says Kraus-Winkler, “then visitor flow management is necessary.” She points to digital options such as time slots via an app or other ‘smart’ solutions to control frequencies on certain days. “This also exists abroad, for example for popular museums.” Dürnstein in the Wachau, for example, already has some ideas in progress.
The experts expect further increases in the future. Guests from Asia were largely absent this year. In the future, those for whom it was too hot on the Mediterranean in the summer can also come. However, the condition is that the economic crisis does not limit the desire to travel again.
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.
