Tourism: 2024 Could Set Overnight Stay Record

The number of overnight stays was 6.7 percent higher than in the same month in 2023, with 5.18 million overnight stays, the authority announced on Friday morning. A podium finish for the total number of overnight stays in the year is very likely, even a record seems possible, the data shows.

"Promising Start to the New Winter Season"

Susanne Kraus-Winkler (ÖVP), State Secretary for Tourism, sees a "promising start to the new winter season", it was announced. The number of overnight stays by guests from abroad increased by 5.9 percent to 3.20 million in November, while those by domestic guests increased by 7.8 percent to 2.32 million. The number of arrivals increased by 7.9 percent to 2.23 million compared to the same month last year.

The calendar year 2024 (January to November) evaluated so far by Statistik Austria, with 141.64 million overnight stays, is 1.3 percent above the same period last year. The total number of overnight stays in 2023 was 151.17 million, so there are still about ten million overnight stays missing in 2024. For comparison: In December 2023, 11.41 million overnight stays were recorded.

Record High of 2019

The absolute Austrian record was set in the last pre-Corona year 2019 with 152.71 million overnight stays, which could be surpassed in 2024 with a strong December. This is followed - already with fewer overnight stays than in 2023 - by the year 2018 with 149.82 million and 2017 with 144.50 million overnight stays.

Almost 104 million overnight stays in the course of 2024 were made by guests from abroad. The vast majority of foreign overnight stays, nearly 54 million, came from Germany.

Tyrol at the Top

The most guests overall were recorded in Tyrol, followed by Salzburg and Vienna. In terms of accommodation types, the demand for 5- and 4-star establishments and commercial holiday apartments was above average throughout the year 2024, according to the State Secretariat for Tourism. After many months of declining numbers, 3-star establishments also recorded an increase in demand for the first time.

"These figures clearly show that people continue to have a great desire to holiday in Austria," said Kraus-Winkler. "In addition to the ever-widening range of winter sports, the service quality of our domestic tourism businesses and the cultural and culinary diversity are decisive factors." The tourism industry is fundamentally an "important, stabilising factor in Austria's increasingly challenging economic situation."

(APA/Red)

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