70.9 percent foreigners

Summer season brings record number of overnight stays

81.59 million overnight stays were recorded in the past summer season (symbolic image).(Bild: DragonImages - stock.adobe.com)

A record number of overnight stays were recorded in Austria in the 2024 summer season. From May to October, 81.59 million overnight stays were recorded, as reported by Statistics Austria on Wednesday. This is a slight increase (0.8 percent) compared to the previous year.

Guests from abroad were primarily responsible for the record, accounting for 70.9 percent. They recorded an increase of 1.3 percent. Germans remained the most important group with 31.66 million overnight stays. The second most important country of origin is the Netherlands, although there was a drop of 3.1 percent among these guests. There was also a small decline in tourists from Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In contrast, more guests came from the Czech Republic, Italy and the USA.

Decline in Lower Austria and Salzburg
There was a slight decline in domestic travel from May to October to 23.78 million overnight stays. A look at the federal states shows that the figures in Vorarlberg have stagnated. In many other federal states, such as Lower Austria, Salzburg and Carinthia, they declined altogether. Only in Burgenland and Vienna did more travelers from other parts of Austria come to stay overnight.

A record number of overnight stays of 9.05 million was also achieved in October, an increase of six percent. "Austria is a globally sought-after tourist destination and these impressive figures show that we offer our guests a high quality of service and good value for money," said State Secretary for Tourism Susanne Kraus-Winkler (ÖVP) in a press release.

However, the statistics "do not reflect the economic reality of accommodation establishments", said Hans Spreitzhofer from the hotel industry of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. "Despite rising overnight stays and higher turnover, operating results are falling."