British Skiers Continue Their Love for Skiing in Austria

4th September 2024

Last modified on September 5th, 2024

Official figures from last winter have been released. We look at what Austria offers, with links to some of our past visits and we report from the Austria ‘Winter Launch’ event in London. UPDATED

France remains the most popular alpine destination for the Brits with Austria in a solid second place.

The figures on Austria come from Statistics Austria that were measured at the end of last season.

There were 2.2m overnight stays by British skiers and snowboarders in Austria last winter.

British visitors to Austria were up last winter on the season of 2022/23, but remain below pre-Covid levels.

German guests had the largest number of overnight stays at 26.2m and the Netherlands took second place at 6.6m.

Us Brits are thus the third most important winter market for Austria.

Compared to winter 2022/23, the number of overnight overall stays in Austria increased by 2.6% and the number of guests by 5.5%.

Image © Statistics Austria

The majority of bookings in the 2023/24 season were once again made in the Tirol and Salzburgerland provinces, which recorded more than half of all overnight stays between November 2023 and April 2024.

“Tourism in winter 2023/24 developed even more positively than in the previous yearʼs season,” said says Statistics Austria Director General, Tobias Thomas.

“With 71 million overnight stays in domestic hotels, guesthouses and holiday flats, the previous yearʼs already strong season of 69 million was exceeded by 2.6%.”

However, overall levels remain 3.6% down from the pre-Covid winter of 2018/19.

It should also be pointed out that British visitors are 8.2% down from pre-Covid numbers so things are not all rosy.

The Tirol, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

More than half of the overnight stays in Winter in Tirol and Salzburgerland
Half of winter overnight stays were in January and February
Early Easter in April 2024 results in 19.4% drop in overnight stays compared to 2023
Calendar Year 2024 to date: more than 54m overnight stays up to April

This week the Austria National Tourist Office held its “Winter Launch” event at Battersea Power station in London.

Austria Winter Launch. Image © PlanetSKI

Tour operators, resorts, ski travel agents and invited guests gathered.

It was focusing on the hospitality and service offered in Austria as a matter of national habit.

There is even a word for it: ‘Lebensgefühl’.

“Austrians have a very unique attitude to life,” said Martina Jamnig the head of ANTO in London to the assembled guests.

Austria Winter Launch. Image © PlanetSKI

“They do not take themselves or life too seriously, they enjoy each moment as it arrives, and they are infused with a love of life that is infectious.

“The more time you spend there, the more you will come to understand this feeling, known as ‘Lebensgefühl‘.

“It’s something that can only be comprehended through the feelings of joy that you experience in the moments you share with your friends, family, and, most importantly, the locals.

“They are what makes Austria truly unique as a destination.

“It’s the friendly greeting as you enter a mountain hut.”

Innsbruck Ski + City, Stubai. Image © PlanetSKI

“The pride with which you will be served your first schnitzel or dumpling soup.”

Innsbruck Ski + City, Schlick 2000. Image © PlanetSKI

Schlick 2000, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

“The cold wind in your face as you step out of the lift and the sound of laughter echoing from a crowded restaurant.”

SkiWelt, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

“The smell of Kaiserschmarren wafting from the kitchen.

“The joy of hurtling down a mountain on skis, board, or bike together.”

Kappl, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

“The friends you make along the way, these are the are moments and memories you will never forget.”

Kappl, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

“It is an experience exclusive to Austria.

“A lust for life, for the natural world, and for the community and culture.

“It’s a feeling embedded in the very bedrock of the Austrian way of life and one that cannot be replicated.”

Tirol, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

Regular readers of PlanetSKI will know that we visited Austria several times last winter.

PlanetSKI's Jane Peel in Gastein, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

We were based in Innsbruck for a month towards the end of last winter.

Here’s one of our many posts:

Week Two for PlanetSKI in Innsbruck

We already have plans for a City + Ski trip to Innsbruck this December ahead of Xmas.

PlanetSKI’s Simon Wilson will be there and he’s not visited before so it will be interesting to hear his views.

He’ll be skiing in Axamer Lizum and sampling the attractions of Innsbruck.

Innsbruck Ski + City, Axamer Lizum. Image © PlanetSKI

“For me Austria has it all with great slopes, superb hospitality, plus a real and genuine alpine experience,” says PlanetSKI editor, James Cove.

“It may not have the highest slopes or the largest linked resorts, but skiing is about more then numbers.

“From the well-known resorts of St Anton and Kitzbuhel, through to the lesser-known ones of Schlick 2000 and Glungezer, Austria has so much to offer.”

“It’s main problem though is the general altitude of its slopes that are often lower than those in France and Switzerland.

“With increasing worries about climate change and people looking for high-altitude options this is certainly a growing concern.

“I’m looking forward to returning this coming winter and am already making plans for a visit towards the end of October when the glacier resorts around Innsbruck will be open.”