Press release: 12.379-219/20

Tourism summer season 2020: one third fewer nights spent than in the previous season; nights spent by domestic guests at a high level

Vienna, 2020-11-27 – The summer tourist season 2020 (May to October) in Austria recorded 53.82 million nights spent, a decrease of 31.8% compared to the previous season, according to preliminary results by Statistics Austria. Since the middle of March 2020, fewer nights spent than in the previous year have been registered every month due to the measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The total number of nights spent in the 2020 summer season is therefore by 25.15 million below the previous year's level. This is mainly due to the decline in nights spent by foreign guests, which almost halved compared to summer 2019 (-43.2% to 31.62 million). In contrast, the number of nights spent by domestic guests remained largely stable at 22.20 million (-4.7%) and thus still ranks among the five best figures ever recorded. The last time similarly high numbers were recorded was in summer season 1966 (54.5 million nights spent), although nights spent by domestic guests at that time, at 14.3 million, were well below the current figure.

The decline in arrivals (-42.6%) was even higher than for the nights spent, with the number of foreign guests falling by more than half (-56.1%) and that of domestic guests by 14.9%. The average length of stay was around 3.7 nights, an increase of 0.6 nights spent compared to summer 2019.

Summer 2020: highly dependent on the German market

Nights spent by foreign guests fell by 43.2% in summer 2020 to 31.62 million, representing 59% of all nights spent in the summer season 2020.70% of overnight stays by foreign guests were attributable to Germany, the most important market of origin (summer 2019: 53%), but nights spent by German guests fell by around a quarter (-25.7%) to 21.93 million in summer 2020. The decline in nights spent by domestic guests to 22.20 million was comparatively moderate at 4.7%.

Summer 2020: different developments in the federal states

By federal state, the declines in summer 2020 varied. With -80.9%, Vienna was hit hardest, while Carinthia (-11.0%), Burgenland (-12.6%) and Styria (-13.3%) closed the summer of 2020 with significantly lower declines. While nights spent by foreign guests decreased in all federal states, there was an increase in domestic guests in some federal states (Styria: +1.6%; Salzburg: +1.5%; Tyrol: +1.0%), most pronounced in Carinthia (+19.8%).

October 2020: fewer nights spent than in the previous year

After declining nights spent in May (-89.7%), June (-58.4%), July (-17.04%), August (-10.9%) and September (-13.4%), in October 2020 a decrease of 49.2% to 4.34 million nights spent in Austrian accommodation establishments was registered. Nights spent by foreign guests in particular fell significantly by 66.7%, while the decrease in nights spent by domestic guests was comparatively lower (-13.6%). Nights spent by German guests showed a rather small decrease in September (-4.7%), but in October 2020 the decrease was 67.2%.

Current calendar year 2020: 39 million fewer nights spent than in the previous year

In the current calendar year 2020 (January to October), 96.04 million nights spent were registered, 29.0% fewer than in the same period of the previous year. The decrease amounts to 39.28 million by the end of October. The number of guests decreased by 38.7% to 24.66 million in the same period.

For more detailed results and further information please refer to our website.

For further inquiries please contact Directorate Spatial Statistics, Statistics Austria:  
Peter LAIMER, Tel.: +43 1 71128-7849 resp. peter.laimer@statistik.gv.at;  
Jürgen WEISS, Tel.: +43 1 71128-7974 resp. juergen.weiss@statistik.gv.at 

Media owner, producer and publisher: 
STATISTICS AUSTRIA, Federal Institution under Public Law 
1110 Vienna, Austria, Guglgasse 13, Tel.: +43 1 71128-7777 
presse@statistik.gv.at  
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