Graz breaks overnight record: A look at the future of tourism!

Graz breaks overnight record: A look at the future of tourism!

In the heart of Graz, a new overnight stay causes a stir: 1.39 million overnight stays were recorded last year. This impressive number goes hand in hand with a record number of available beds in the city, which presents the tourism landscape for challenges. Around 40 percent of the overnight stays came from business travelers, which is over 500,000 overnight stays. However, the Graz tourism industry has been under pressure because the division division has been declining for years, as the managing director of Graz Tourismus, Dieter Hardt-Stremayr, reported. 20 years ago, the proportion of business travelers was still 60 percent, today the situation is tense.

challenges for the tourism industry

The concerns about the economic situation, especially in the car supplier industry, are intensively pursued by those responsible for tourism. City Councilor Günter Riegler expressed concerns about the situation and emphasized the need for continuous exchange with the companies. Change is in the air: companies try to reorganize themselves, with some orienting in the direction of the aircraft industry and the area of microelectronics offers promising prospects. "A savings course that is too hard can be threatening for tourism," warned Riegler and demanded investments in public events to promote growth.

The positive mood in relation to the overnight stays cannot be overlooked because the numbers have increased for many years. In 2024, 64,600 overnight guests came more to Graz than in the previous year, with summer and Advent delivering excellent results. The guests come to an important part from Germany (19 percent), followed by Polish and Italian tourists. The return of the congress and seminar area to the level of 2019 shows that tourism stabilizes. Despite the high bed capacities that increase competitive pressure and burden the earnings situation of the companies, Graz ranks second in the Austrian cities comparison with a overnight plus of 7.9 percent behind Vienna, which recorded a plus of 9.3 percent, such as and news.at