Record Summer Season for Austria: 40 Million Overnight Stays So Far
The first half of the summer season 2025 has been better than ever for Austria's tourism industry despite a weak July. From May to July, according to Statistics Austria, there were 40.55 million overnight stays - an increase of 1.3 percent compared to the same period last year and a record value. The number of arrivals (regardless of the length of stay; note) also rose by 1.5 percent to a guest record of 13.40 million.
Strong June, Weak July
July, on the other hand, was somewhat less successful than the previous year. Overnight stays decreased by 1.3 percent to 18.55 million - "probably also due to the weather," says the statistical general director of the statistics authority, Thomas Burg, in the press release on Wednesday. The decline was stronger among domestic guests at 4.4 percent than among foreign guests (-0.2 percent).
In May, the booking situation was still weak (8.5 million), as Statistics Austria had already reported in the past. In June, however, there was an increase in overnight stays by 14.6 percent to 13.5 million overnight stays.
Increase in Foreign Tourists in Austria
The increase from May to July is also mainly due to foreign tourists (plus 1.8 percent). They accounted for a good 70 percent of the overnight stays. The number of domestic tourists, on the other hand, has hardly changed compared to the previous year.
Tourism State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner (ÖVP) was pleased with the figures: "Summer holidays in Austria are still very popular, the first half is a good interim result."
Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Carinthia as Laggards in Overnight Stays
In Salzburg and Tyrol, there was a slight increase in overnight stays in July against the trend. The most significant declines over the year were in Lower Austria with almost seven percent, followed by Upper Austria (minus 4.3 percent) and Carinthia (minus 4.2 percent).
A similar picture emerges from the figures for the entire first half of the summer season. Here too, the three federal states recorded declines in overnight stays - albeit only in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 percent. The largest increase was in Salzburg with three percent.
In the first half of the year (from January to July), there were 94.7 million overnight stays nationwide - a slight increase of 0.2 percent compared to the previous year. The driver here was Vienna with an increase of 5.3 percent. The largest decline was in Carinthia with two percent.
"Every Unnecessary Piece of Paper is One Too Many": Bureaucracy as a Hurdle in Tourism
Despite the record numbers, the tourism industry sees itself slowed down by "unnecessary bureaucracy." "Our businesses need room to breathe. Especially in tourism, every unnecessary piece of paper is one too many," said Susanne Kraus-Winkler, Federal Chairwoman of the industry at the Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) in a statement on the occasion of a tourism conference in Alpbach.
(APA/Red)
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