Record Summer for Domestic Tourism: Overnight Stays at 50-Year High
Austrians are taking vacations even in times of crisis – and international guests even more so. According to Statistics Austria, a total of 116.02 million overnight stays were recorded from January to August 2025 – a new record since records began in 1974. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of 0.3 percent.
Three-quarters of the overnight stays were accounted for by guests from abroad. Tourists from Germany were particularly well represented again, responsible for 43.49 million overnight stays – significantly more than guests from Austria itself (28.98 million).
Tyrol, Salzburg and Vienna at the Top
Tyrol once again recorded the most overnight stays with 38.09 million, followed by Salzburg (23.61 million) and Vienna (12.55 million). Vienna also recorded one of the strongest increases with a plus of 4.1 percent. Burgenland increased by 2.3 percent.
On the losing side were Carinthia (minus 2.1 percent), Lower Austria (minus 1.4 percent), and Upper Austria (minus 0.8 percent).
Summer Particularly Strong: August with Peak Value
The summer season was particularly positive: From May to August, overnight stays increased by 1.1 percent to 61.84 million. Foreign guests, in particular, contributed to the growth with 44.54 million overnight stays.
August, the most important month of the season, also saw an increase with 21.27 million overnight stays, up by 0.7 percent. Here too, the increase was solely due to international guests – domestic demand fell by 2.5 percent.
No Guarantee for Economic Success
"At the beginning of June, around 60 percent of our businesses had optimistic expectations for the summer season - the data for August shows stable and positive demand, and the booking situation in September is consistently steady," reported Georg Imlauer, chairman of the Hotel Industry Association of the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKÖ). After a rainy July, which required accepting a small decrease in overnight stays, the traditionally strongest month of August picked up again. "Nevertheless, increasing overnight stays alone are no guarantee for economic success - the cost pressure continues to grow," Imlauer emphasized in a statement. The businesses cannot pass on the increased costs one-to-one through prices.
"A good summer gives confidence for a strong winter season," emphasized Tourism State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner (ÖVP) via a press release. The businesses have impressively shown how resilient domestic tourism is. "At the same time, we clearly see: Without sufficient staff, we cannot secure this success - that is why we are currently finalizing the necessary seasonal quotas so that our businesses have planning security quickly," the politician promised. The recently decided tip regulation in the Council of Ministers also creates more planning and legal security for the industry.
The current booking situation for the autumn holidays and the Christmas season is "cautiously optimistic" according to the Hotel Industry Association. "At the end of the day, we expect the autumn and Christmas season to be satisfactory for the hotel industry," said Imlauer. "We anticipate many last-minute bookings - this is now our daily business, and flexibility is thus a competitive advantage." Bookings for the entire winter season 2025/26 have also "started very steadily across Austria." Especially in the classic winter destinations, many bookings have already been received.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.