Yesterday the airport in Salzburg listed an inrush of Russian tourists. 11.000 holidaymakers from Russia arrived in one day. Mainly young families with many children from the middle class, reported Austrias Broadcasting Corporation “ORF”.

45 aeroplanes from Russian or Ukrainian airports were counted. They landed every fifth minute. This is a huge increase since the past year. Russians want to celebrate their orthodox christmas in Austria, knows a young tour escort. Their favourite destination is the valley in Bad Gastein.

- link: Bad Gastein

A reason of the massive drop is the economic crisis, knows the tourism manager of the region Zell am See-Kaprun Renate Ecker. But she is very optimistic that Russians are going to return soon. There was a slight increase last year, she told.

Austria tries everything to get more tourists from Russia. Some Austrian holiday destinations are partner of the big ski hall in Moscow. There are promotions in Russian cities. Russian journalists and tour operators get free winter holidays, and there are also direct cooperations with Russian travel agencies.

Salzburgs tourism metropolis Gastein has no problems with a decreasing tourist occurrence from Russia. They know how to make it right. From 2005 to 2010 they were able to redouble the amount of Russian tourists. In marked contrast to the rest of Austrias holiday destinations. The tourism boss of Gastein explains that he knows how to make the right advertising for his place in Russia.

The survey included the range of ski slopes, snow guarantee, hotels, fun, apres ski and kindness. Schladming was the winner of the survey and received an average mark of 8,03. The second rank went to Lech-Zürs with 7,96. Third Altesch-Arena in Switzerland with 7,87. Rank four and five went to Zermatt (Switzerland) with 7,86 and Serfauf-Fiss-Ladis with 7,83.

Another interesting facts of the study: good skiers are more loyal to their holiday destination. The better, the more loyal. The most loyal guests have Lech-Zürs, Lenzerheide und Arosa. The most intensive used ski slopes are located in Obertauern and St. Anton. Every second skier goes skiing more than 10 days in one season.

The tourism boss of Schladming is very proud about this result. Especially the good performance in “kindness” makes him very happy. Just several days ago the Schladming ski slope called “Planai” was labeled as “very good” during a ski slope test of the German car club “ADAC”. Schladming seems to be a very good place for a winter holiday.

The federal state of Upper Austria has a problem with its tourism industry. The overnight stays experience a dramatic decrease. There was a minus of 4,2 percent between May and July. In numbers: 10.000 visitors fewer with a minus of 92.000 over night stays.

There is no difference between domestic and foreign guests. The interesting thing about this statistics is the fact that almost all other provinces in Austria have increasing guests and overnight stays. For example Vienna has an increase of even 13 percent in arrivals. The reason why Upper Austria is doing so bad is unknown. Critical observers claim that Upper Austria just became too expensive in the past months.

Devastating result for Salzburgs hotel prices in the trivago hotel price index. While hotel prices in all important European cities decrease, Salzburg is the only exception. The hotel prices were even increased. And that not in a modest way.

In Venice, Rome or Paris the prices for a hotel room decreased down to 19 percent. The difference to Salzburg? In Salzburg hotel prices increased up to 34 percent. One of the reasons is the time during the Salzburg Festival. And Salzburg is still a very popular holiday destination.

The beauty of Carinthias landscape was confirmed and is undisputed, but friendly and polite hosts? No! The survey, which was commissioned by the tourism department, revealed problems with the quality during the accommodation. But also the missing friendliness of the staff was a frequently mentioned point of criticism among tourists in Carinthia.

Nevertheless Carinthia is a very popular holiday destination for travellers from Germany, Netherlands and Italy.

The survey is an alarm signal for all Carinthians. Carinthias tourism councillor thinks that it’s time to face the truth. “We must remove our foibles and strengthen our strengths.” A Carinthian holiday operator confessed that the result of the survey hurts a lot. “It’s hard to believe that we have no charme and no kindness in the eyes of the tourist.”

But Carinthians promised to improve the situation. The tourist should exeperience and feel the kindness and charme of the Carinthians as soon as possible. Workshops should help holiday operators to learn how to treat holiday makers right.

The typical Austrian holiday maker is not under 30 years old, comes from the countryside, and has no children under 15 years. Only 50 percent of the Austrian population are holiday makers. The institute counted only main holidays. More holidays in a year did not count.

The average holiday in Austria lasts 7,6 days. Holidays abroad are longer: 12,7 days. Vienna is not very popular as a travel destination for Austrians. It came on the last place in the ranking of Austrias federal states. Carinthia and Styria are the most popular holiday destinations for Austrians.

The education is very important where Austrians choose to spend their holiday. High educated people who spend their holiday in Austria are a curiosity. They usually travel abroad. Austrians who only have the graduation of a compulsory school are overrepresented in the group of Austrian holiday makers in Austria.

Lower Austrians are the most passionate holiday makers in Austria. 43 percent of them spend their holiday in Austria. People from Tirol are the opposite and take the last rank. Only 16 percent of them prefer to enjoy their holiday in Austria.

A couple of Belgian skiers were arrested on the ski slope in Tirols holiday destination Wildschönau, because they started a fight with native ski lift servants. One of the servants was badly injured with a ski shoe kick in his face.

Two helicopters had to come to the spot of violence. One to bring the injured victims to hospital. And the other one to bring the angry tourists from Belgium with handcuffs to prison.

Also some of the Belgians were injured. The ski lift servants fought back. Reason of the conflict was the advice of a servant that it’s not allowed to change the tow lift trace.

In spite of economic crisis and thunder storms, the tourism in Styria is doing quite good this summer season. Steiermark Tourismus even announces a slight increase of arrivals between May and July this year.

Tourism experts feared a much worser situation for the Styrian holiday industry this summer. Also the numbers for August are very good. The statistics also show that Styria is very popular by domestic holiday makers. Most of the tourists are Styrians themselfes who prefer to spend the holiday in their own federal state. But also holiday makers from Lower Austria and Carinthia are overproportional existent in the statistics of Austrian tourists in Styria.

Number one of the foreign guests in Styria are the Netherlanders, followed by Italians. The tourists from the Netherlands even listed an increase of 11 percent this summer.

Also the website of Austrias Broadcasting Corporation reports about a “rebirth of the bed and breakfast guesthouse” in Austria. Experts were wrong in the past times when they claimed more luxury hotels in Austria. It was told that “nobody needs bed and breakfast guesthouses anymore” and that “luxury hotels are the future.”

Now those much lauded luxury hotels are empty and bed and breakfast inns are totally crowded. The economic crisis makes it possible. People don’t want to miss their holiday and choose the cheaper version.

One bed and breakfast operator from Obertraun confirms the new development. He is booked out until the end of September. The benefit of a bed and breakfast guesthouse is its unbeatable price-performance ratio.

Tourism experts, who were already wrong that Austria needs more luxury hotels, seems to be quite disappointed and upset. The spokesman of the institure for leisure and tourism research says: “Bed and breakfast inns are bad for our tourism because there is not such a good service as in hotels. The foundation stone of the tourism is and always will be the hotel.”

© Photographer: Franz Pfluegl | Agency: Dreamstime.com”