It is one of the warmest winters in the history of measurements in Austria. Nevertheless, the winter season in the country has been a great success so far. At least that is evident from the tourism figures: with 9.5 million arrivals and 32 million overnight stays from November to January, the first summary is promising. Can the record level from 2019 be achieved again this year? “We are doing very, very well,” said State Secretary for Tourism Susanne Kraus-Winkler (ÖVP) on Tuesday in Berlin at the world’s largest tourism fair (ITB).
“We assume that this winter will be very short,” said Kraus-Winkler at the ITB. The fact that tourist figures are still rising this year is due to the extra offer that winter holidaymakers are increasingly making use of. Mainly spa offers, but spring and autumn activities are also used – if the conditions for an optimal skiing day are not met.
Increase in guests from the East
According to Leo Bauernberger, director of the SalzburgerLand Tourismus Gesellschaft, the often spring-like weather conditions should not pose a problem for our slopes: “We are still in full winter.” There was a strong growth in the number of overnight stays by Asian guests, especially in the winter season. In addition, a large number of guests from Germany are coming to Austria. “We are in second place as the most popular holiday destination for short trips,” says Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger, Managing Director of Austria Advertising.
Pioneer in sustainability
Austria is a pioneer, especially when it comes to ‘climate-friendly travel’. “50 percent of German holidaymakers pay special attention to sustainability,” explains the director of Austria Advertising. Austria meets these criteria. The Deputy Governor of Salzburg, Stefan Schnöll, can underline this with an example: “With a ski ticket you have the opportunity to travel to our ski areas for free.” According to tourism expert Kraus-Winkler, the goal is also to be among the best sustainable ski areas. destinations in the world. Cultural tourism is also increasingly developing into a growth market that contributes to the attractiveness of Austria all year round and needs to be further optimized.
The main challenge for the future of tourism will be the topics of digitalization and artificial intelligence. But here too, Kraus-Winkler remains optimistic: “We are pioneers here in Austria – just like in the field of sustainability.” There needs to be clarity about how the websites will be structured in the future so that they comply with the AI guidelines.
Austria on the international stage
Together with 64 Austrian partners, the tourism country will be presented at the ITB in Berlin from Tuesday to Thursday. In addition to the “positive” balance of this year’s winter season, Austrian Advertising is also presenting its new advertising line on the international stage and is also launching a new summer campaign under the motto “Austrian attitude to life”.
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.
