Urban tourism in Austria is on track for pre-pandemic numbers. Austria’s provincial capitals and the federal capital Vienna recorded more than 20 million overnight stays in 2022. Last year they grew twice as fast as the rest of Austria. However, the share of the national volume is still lower than in 2019.
The slumps were of course major in 2020 and 2021. The previous year was initially dominated by a lockdown, but the course of the year was characterized, as emphasized, by a dynamic catch-up race. Together, the nine cities recorded 20.3 million overnight stays.
That is an increase of 126 percent compared to the previous year and corresponds to 78 percent of the number of overnight stays in 2019. Austria without capitals had an increase of 65 percent last year, the ARGE calculated.
Most overnight stays in Vienna
Nearly two-thirds (65.2 percent) of overnight stays in the member cities were realized in Vienna in 2022. The provincial capitals and Vienna accounted for 14.8 percent of all overnight stays in Austria last year. This is still below usual values: in 2019, the share was 17 percent.
Cities Catching Up has begun
“2022 has shown what we have always emphasized during the pandemic: urban tourism is returning to its former role as a value-added engine, innovation driver and job guarantor of year-round jobs,” said Norbert Kettner, Vienna’s director of tourism in his function as chairman of ARGE Cities: “Goes If the cities continue to catch up, in 2023 the ratio we know from before the pandemic will dominate again.
Even before the pandemic, urban tourism was a growth engine in Austrian tourism, Kettner emphasized. According to the ARGE chairman, overnight stays in the nine cities more than doubled between 2000 and 2019 with an increase of 108 percent; overnight stays throughout Austria increased by 34 percent during this period.
Overflow effect
Hardly any other segment of tourism in Austria is more dependent on an international audience than the city destinations. Kettner emphasized that conventions, corporate conferences and business travel were seen as sources of revenue and growth. Not only the economy in the cities would benefit from the so-called spillover effects, but also in the whole country, for example through supply companies.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
