Despite the economic crisis, domestic tourism is growing and is expected to fully recover from the pandemic and all travel restrictions this winter. Bookings in hotels, guesthouses and holiday apartments in the current 2024/25 season are heading towards the levels of six years ago – the last full winter season (2018/19) before Corona.
According to industry surveys, overnight bookings currently look promising: “Last year we had over 71 million overnight stays, in 2018/19 almost 73 million. And we are working towards that again: this year we could manage 1.8 million more than last year,” expects State Secretary for Tourism Susanne Kraus-Winkler. “The cable car operators also assume that the season will be better than last year.”
Still a lack of staff
At the same time, there is a shortage of personnel everywhere. “The industry would hire more people if it was easier to get people – the EU market has deflated because everyone needs more people,” Kraus-Winkler said. “Above all, there are gaps in service delivery.” The increase in the seasonal quota for employees from non-EU countries by around 500 to 4,985 people, which was only established by regulation last Tuesday, offers only small relief.
There is no month with fewer than 200,000 tourism workers; in the high season there are 240,000 to 250,000, according to Kraus-Winkler. From May 1, 2025, unskilled employees would receive a gross starting salary of 2,000 euros per month according to the collective labor agreement. Food and accommodation are free.
According to the State Secretary, the share of employees with nationality continues to “decrease slightly but consistently” and is now moving towards an average of 40 percent. In 2019, before the corona pandemic, this was around 48 percent.
Even attractive without snow
Despite the shortage of skilled workers, trade will be booming in the upcoming festive season. “The booking situation is currently very good – Christmas and New Year’s Eve are very well booked,” Kraus-Winkler emphasizes. “Outside the holiday period, guests still tend to book at short notice – they decide spontaneously and depending on the weather and snow conditions.”
Of course there are regional differences: Lower Austria cannot be compared to the west, where many ski areas opened early this year thanks to the winter weather. The early start – in combination with snow cannons – promises a good season.
However, the overall increase in warming is forcing the industry to transform. “In winter we are now actually quite broadly positioned – with the range of spas and thermal baths. There is a demand for this in all regions,” Kraus-Winkler explains. “And we are also starting to broaden the topic of winter sports – it mainly involves skiing, but also winter walking – with and without skis – and cycling.” According to the State Secretary, Austria wants to “continue to position itself as an alpine snow-independent winter sports destination is attractive.”
Many wishes for the new government
The tourism expert, who was also co-founder and co-owner of the Loisium resorts and is a co-partner of the Harry’s Home hotel group, would like the new government to give people from third countries easier access to the labor market. reduction of bureaucracy in “the many, often EU-driven regulations, which overwhelm small and very small businesses by 90 percent”, and investment-friendly taxes. “The issue of energy costs must also be brought under control,” says Kraus-Winkler, who looks back on almost three years as State Secretary for Tourism directly from business practice.
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.
