Winter magic in Innsbruck: Over 1.7 million overnight stays recorded!

Winter magic in Innsbruck: Over 1.7 million overnight stays recorded!

The Innsbruck tourism region is drawing a consistently positive balance for the 2024/25 winter season. How sportsbusiness.at reported, the region recorded a total of 1,711,290 overnight stays, an increase of 6% compared to the previous season. Arrivals also rose by 5% to 710,003. A key driver for this growth is increased demand from international long-distance markets.

Particularly noteworthy are the significant increases from Australia, the USA, China and Poland, which range between 17 and 46%. The most important countries of origin for guests remain Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which also recorded an increase, while Italy suffered a 7% decline in overnight stays.

Strategies to extend length of stay

One goal of the tourism region is to extend the length of stay, which is promoted through targeted measures. In the destinations Kühtai-Sellrain, in the west and Innsbruck, the average length of stay increased to 4.6, 3.1 and 1.8 nights, with an increase of 2 to 4%. A guest card that offers included services from the second night onwards is intended to help encourage longer stays. This is in line with the ambition to reduce traffic while increasing sustainability.

The expansion of the leisure and adventure infrastructure is another focus of the region. The new “Peter Anich III” lift at Rangger Köpfl was successfully put into operation with over 100 opening days and recorded more than 100,000 ski days. In addition, 1.4 million euros will flow into the development of summer events and infrastructure, for example for the International Climbing World Cup and the World Music Festival.

International markets in focus

Another important aspect of Austrian tourism is the strategic focus on international markets. This also became clear at the Austrian Tourism Day (ÖTT), where current trends and potential were presented. With 2.38 million overnight stays, the USA is the most important long-distance market for Austria, an increase of 14% compared to the previous year. China follows with around 654,000 overnight stays and an impressive increase of 90%.

The importance of South America is also increasing, particularly with countries such as Mexico and Brazil generating a total of around 571,000 overnight stays. Canada recorded an increase of 19% and around 383,000 overnight stays. Austria is increasingly valued as an attractive year-round destination, with a third of trips from these markets taking place in the low season, ensuring more stable utilization of tourist offerings.

In response to the boom in winter tourism, especially after the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, Austria is being specifically promoted in this market as a high-quality destination. The focus is on outdoor activities and health. In the US market, advertising emphasizes the luxurious aspects, especially in the culinary sector.

Travel revenue from North America increased by 46% to 856 million euros from 2019 to 2024. Guests from these regions are willing to spend an average of 341 euros per day. In comparison, Asian guests who are particularly interested in high culture and landscape even spend 392 euros per day. This illustrates the potential of these markets for the Austrian tourism industry.

In summary, the winter season in Innsbruck not only shows a positive development in guest numbers, but also the need for a continued focus on international markets in order to ensure the region's attractiveness as a year-round destination. The region and those responsible for the Austrian tourism industry rely on sustainable strategies and investments in order to take advantage of current trends and set the course for the future.