Impact of COVID-19 on the Austrian Tourism and Leisure Industry in 2021

According to estimates based on the concept of the Tourism Satellite Account, tourism spending by domestic and foreign visitors in Austria in 2021 was 20.8 billion €, 2.4 percent lower than in 2020 (–45.2 percent compared to 2019). The resulting direct and indirect value-added effects amounted to 16.6 billion € (–2.5 percent over previous year, –45.1 percent against 2019), their contribution to overall GDP to 4.1 percent. With around 215,900 full-time equivalents (FTE; employees and self-employed), the tourism industry accounted directly and indirectly for 5.5 percent of total employment in 2021 (estimate). Within the balance of payments travel services added up to +3.6 billion € in 2021 (peak in 2019 +10.6 billion €; losses since 2019: exports –52.1 percent, imports –40.3 percent; in nominal terms, including international passenger transport). Austria's market share in nominal tourism exports of 32 European countries thus shrank to 3.3 percent in 2021 (2020: 6.2 percent), resulting in the historically weakest position 13 (2020: rank 6). Non-touristic leisure consumption by domestic inhabitants in 2021 was estimated at 37.1 billion € (+3.7 percent compared to 2020, –11.9 percent since 2019), generating a total value added of 25.0 billion € (+4.0 percent versus 2020 and –15.2 percent versus 2019, respectively) with a GDP contribution of 6.2 percent (2019: 7.4 percent) and 275,100 FTEs (7.0 percent of total employment; 2019: 7.8 percent).