27 million vacations in 2023

The desire to travel has reached a new record high

Sun, beach and sea are very popular with Austrians.

(Bild: KRONEN ZEITUNG)

Austrians are traveling like never before. Almost six million people took 27 million vacations at home and abroad last year - a good quarter more than in 2019 and a new all-time high. Just over half of them went abroad. According to Statistics Austria, Italy was ahead of Germany and Italy. On average, around 1500 euros are spent per main vacation.

The sudden return of Austrians' desire to travel after the coronavirus pandemic continues. Three quarters of Austrians, or almost six million people, traveled at least one night in 2023. This puts us in the top quarter in Europe. Only Norwegians (89%), Swiss (87%), Dutch (83%) and French (78%) travel more often. A total of 27 million vacations were on the agenda for Austrians - meaning that each traveler took an average of five "trips".

Italy most popular ahead of Germany and Croatia
Just over half (52.9 percent) are drawn abroad, where a total of 14.3 million trips (+15.9 percent) were made. Italy is in the lead here (see chart), followed by Germany and Croatia. However, 12.7 million trips were made in Austria. Styria is the most popular destination (2.7 million), followed by Lower Austria (1.8 million), Upper Austria (1.7 million), Salzburg (1.6 million), Carinthia (1.4 million) and Vienna (1.3 million). Tyrol (1.1 million), Burgenland (0.7 million) and Vorarlberg (0.4 million) bring up the rear.

Car remains the most used means of transportation
Six out of ten vacations (whether at home or abroad) are taken by car. This is the lowest figure since 2006, followed by the more popular airplane (17.5 percent) in second place, just ahead of the train (15.1 percent).

Early bookers are back
While Austrians have been reluctant to book early in recent years, this has changed again this year. "Early bookers are back," says Eva Buzzi, President of the Austrian Travel Association. The booking situation was sensational from January to March, with only April seeing a slight slowdown. All in all, the travel expert expects travel agencies and tour operators to generate higher revenue per guest this year than in 2023, partly due to inflation. Italy, Croatia and Greece are particularly popular this year. On average, Austrians are spending 1,500 euros on their main vacation.

Eva Buzzi, President of the Austrian Travel Association, is optimistic for the summer.

(Bild: andreas scheiblecker)

The spending gap is widening
In addition to the trend towards shorter stays, two different developments can be observed in terms of expenditure. On the one hand, people are saving even more on cheaper trips. For example, families would book an apartment instead of a hotel more often than before or choose breakfast instead of half board. 

At the same time, the "high-end" segment is now increasingly "going all out", says Buzzi. People are now often opting for business class instead of economy on planes or booking a 5-star hotel instead of the usual 4-star accommodation.

A constant quarter of Austrians do not travel
Over the years, around a quarter (23.3 percent) of Austrians do not travel at all. According to Peter Laimer from Statistics Austria, this figure has remained constant over the last few years. One in two people who do not travel say that there is no reason for them to do so (motto: "I'd rather be at home"). For every third person, it is financial or health reasons that stand in the way of a vacation.