Since the annexation of Crimea and the sanctions imposed by the EU in 2014, the number of Russian guests in Austria has been steadily decreasing. The proportion of Russian holidaymakers, measured by overnight stays, is now less than one percent. Industry representatives are concerned about the lack of purchasing power among Russian guests. Austria recently rejected an entry stop for Russian tourists.
In the past two years in particular, the number of Russian tourists in Germany has fallen sharply. According to Statistics Austria, in 2021, holidaymakers from Russia accounted for about 96,000 overnight stays, just 0.12 percent of Austria’s nearly 79.6 million overnight tourist stays. That is 92 percent less than in 2019 (with 1.19 million).
Important customer area in the luxury sector
Nevertheless, industry representatives had recently expressed concerns about the lack of purchasing power of Russian tourists. Russian guests were therefore an important customer segment, especially in the luxury sector. People are adapting, but Russia’s purchasing power cannot be compensated so quickly: “It would be naive to say that we don’t feel it,” said Rainer Trefelik, chairman of the federal trade department in the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ). to the ORF in mid-August.
Martin Stanits, representative of the Austrian Hotel Association (ÖHV), also complained about the lack of guests from Russia in March. They have about three to four times as much money in the market as the average vacationer and are generally very willing to spend. “When they get there, they stay longer than the average guest and consume quite a bit,” the hotel spokesperson said in an interview with APA at the time. At least that’s how it was in normal times. “They stayed for a week or 10 days, about 14 days.”
Austria rejects travel ban for holidaymakers
Countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, the Baltic States or Scandinavian countries such as Finland and Denmark had voted in favor of a visa ban and in some cases had already restricted entry for Russian citizens. Austria had recently rejected a possible entry ban for Russian tourists. “With a general visa freeze, existing contacts with Russian civil society would hardly be possible. That would exclude civil society and members of the opposition, but also, for example, relatives of Austrians from the EU,” the foreign ministry said on Thursday in response to an APA request.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
