More bookings in March than expected
economy
The booking situation in Salzburg’s ski areas is much better than previously feared. This is confirmed by tourism experts from the inner mountains. It is said that many regular guests would remain loyal to the apartments and hotels despite the CoV pandemic.
The season went very well all around Christmas. January was practically a total failure. From the point of view of the Salzburg tourist industry, the semester breaks and carnival days in February were pleasantly good again. This is how the winter season can be summed up so far.
The big question was how things will continue in March after the holidays. “Much better than expected,” says Walter Veit, President of the Austrian Hoteliers’ Association (ÖHV), who himself runs a hotel in the Obertauern ski area (Pongau/Lungau).
Utilization should reach the 60 percent mark
“We originally assumed a capacity utilization of 40 to 50 percent, but now we can count on a capacity utilization of 60 percent, depending on the region. The guests have returned. Above all, the loyal regular guests who were always looking for sunny skiing in March,” says Veit. Capacity utilization will remain good until mid-March, but what comes after that is uncertain.
If the snow conditions are good, lifts could run even longer
The interest in a winter holiday is great, says Wolfgang Breitfuss, Director of Tourism in Saalbach-Hinterglemm (Pinzgau). If the snow conditions remain good, good capacity utilization is expected in the higher-lying ski areas even at Easter. And a lot of snow could also encourage some other ski areas to keep the lifts open until Easter, adds the ÖHV President.
Upswing in the city hotel industry not foreseeable
The tourist downer: the city hotel industry is still in the ground. A recovery is not yet foreseeable here, regrets Veit.