“No switch was flipped,” changes would take longer than originally thought, says Eva Brucker, head of the Innovation and Management in Tourism course at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, in an interview with ORF.at. At the moment, there is often still a desire to catch up on what has been lost, to be able to determine the destination and type of travel yourself again – “Revenge Travel” is the name for it, in other words: the revenge of those who love to travel.
This development could already be felt in 2022. Brucker says it will probably be another two or three years before lessons can really be learned from the pandemic. The overall picture of holiday travel in 2023 will be similar to that before the pandemic, as will the balance sheets of travel providers and airlines.
Altered Consciousness
Even the cruise industry, which was hit by huge losses during the pandemic, wants to leave the crisis behind for good in 2023. “In the course of this year we will again reach or exceed the pre-CoV volume of passengers,” said the Cruise Ship Trade Association (CLIA) at the end of April.
Nevertheless, something has happened, says Brucker, the awareness of many providers has changed. And demand has also changed on the consumer side, the urgency of the climate crisis is having an impact: Compliance with basic standards on topics such as nutrition, waste avoidance and recycling and intact value chains are becoming increasingly important.
The requirements of vacationers have changed, also confirmed Secretary of State for Tourism Susanne Kraus-Winkler (ÖVP). “In recent years, a veritable sustainability boom has developed, which is becoming increasingly evident both in the booking decisions of tourists and in the range of local businesses. The type of travel is also becoming more and more environmentally friendly.”
Inflation beats sustainability
“Many potential guests are willing to pay more for sustainable offers in the hotel. According to our current sustainability study, around a quarter of those surveyed – 23 percent – can be described as having an affinity for sustainability,” said Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger, Managing Director of Österreich Werbung. In addition, 76 percent of the hotels surveyed are planning to promote the topic of sustainability in the near future. Great importance is also attached to the promotion of tourism.
This is also confirmed by expert Brucker, the granting of loans in the industry, for example, is directly related to sustainability criteria. It is difficult to determine how important the topic is in the holiday decision. According to Brucker, 80 percent would say that sustainability is important, but ultimately only 10 percent would definitely stick to it. This is not least due to inflation – more on this in Inflation is reflected in Leisure, Travel. Compromises would first and foremost be made in terms of sustainability.
Rescheduling due to overcrowding
Prices are also a reason why off-season travel is on the rise, according to a recent study by the European Travel Commission (ETC) with surveys in 10 countries including Austria. This year more Europeans would plan a holiday in spring and early summer than in the classic holiday month of August. But there are other reasons for the rethinking, which until recently were less important: the desire to avoid heat waves and crowds.
According to the survey, pleasant weather conditions (18 percent) are the most important reason for choosing a travel destination, followed by attractive price offers (17 percent) and low overcrowding (11 percent). Fewer and fewer people want to fight for umbrellas on popular beaches, for admission to well-known museums or to visit places that are listed as must-haves in all travel guides – at least during the peak travel season. The pandemic and the restrictions associated with it are likely to have had an impact so far, despite the lifting of all measures.
pioneer available
Commenting on the study, Luis Araujo, President of the ETC, said: “It is encouraging to see that more people are choosing to travel outside of the summer peak periods to avoid overcrowding and high prices. This positive trend supports sustainable destination management by distributing tourism flows more evenly. We advise all tourism businesses to follow these trends closely.”
The will of the population is there, says Brucker, positive examples are available. For example, she mentions the boutique hotel Stadthalle in Vienna, owned by the former, long-standing President of the Austrian Hotel Association (ÖHV), Michaela Reitterer. On its website, the hotel calls itself the first SDG city hotel (Sustainable Development Goals) with a zero-energy balance, which means: “Through photovoltaics, solar energy and the avoidance of large energy guzzlers, we can produce just as much energy in the boutique hotel Stadthalle over the year , how we consume.” The concept of the Hotel Ammerhauser in Salzburg is similarly ambitious.
All sides – providers, consumers, politicians – know what to do, says Brucker. It would be important to “finally get into action” after talking. A thesis shared by many is that without renunciation, it would be impossible to prevent the climate from turning misanthropic. Brucker counters: The issue of renunciation alone would not be enough, more innovation and creativity as well as a view of the common good are the decisive factors in leading tourism into a new, sustainable age.
