Tourism under pressure: New ideas for securing skilled workers and all -year jobs

Tourism under pressure: New ideas for securing skilled workers and all -year jobs

The challenges in Austrian tourism focus on the new State Secretary for Energy, Startups and Tourism, Elisabeth Zehetner-Piewald. In their first meeting in the tourism committee, it became clear that despite an increase in the overnight number by 2.1 % in 2024, a total of 154 million, the income declines compared to 2019. Zehetner-Piewald emphasized that the central tasks of her term of office must secure skilled workers, reduction in bureaucracy, the strengthening of the tourism acceptance and the steering of visitor flows.

A third of the tourism guests in Austria comes from domestic, which illustrates the need for better integration of regional offers. At the same time, however, it was also criticized that the seasonal contingent was released for foreign specialists too late. In order to counteract the shortage of skilled workers, the seasonal contingents should be increased to 5,500 per year, including a special contingent for the Western Balkans. The corresponding regulations are to be issued in September.

new approaches for tourism

Another central concern of the State Secretary is the promotion of all -year tourism, which should not only increase the utilization of the companies and also help to bind workers in the long term. In this context, possible funding for internships abroad in tourism was also discussed. The aim is to reduce bureaucracy to relieve the companies and improve predictability. In addition, Zehetner-Piewald emphasizes how important it is to reduce unnecessary regulations.

One of the most urgent questions concerns tip taxation, which is of great importance for many tourism employees. In order to increase the attractiveness of the jobs in this sector, extensive reforms are necessary. The international comparison shows that Austria has slow growth in tourism, while regions such as the Middle East draw attention to itself with an increase rate of 32 %. For Europe, growth is only 1 %.

sustainability and climate goals

Austria is aiming for climate neutrality by 2040, which is also important for tourism. As part of the “Balanced Tourism” project, 21 submissive: Inside, reacted to a project call from which 17 projects were selected that promote sustainable tourism. This should not only serve to protect the environment, but also strengthen the acceptance of tourism in local communities and at the same time reduce the effects of massive tourism on the infrastructure and the quality of life on site.

For large events such as the events in Bad Ischl, it was found that they can have both positive and negative effects on the region. The MPs of the Tourism Committee are intensively discussing strategies for steering visitor flows in order to meet the challenges of the tourism sector. The debates on these topics are essential in order to develop sustainable solutions for Austrian tourism. For more detailed information about the shortage of skilled workers in tourism, further analyzes can be found on be read.