Prepared for what lies ahead in tourism
Stay up-to-date with current, independent statistics and information on tourism in the Alpine region.
Car dominates: Around 75% of guests travel to Austria by car - a major CO₂ driver.
Share of air travel is growing: According to forecasts, long-distance markets and air travel could continue to grow.
Technology alone is not enough: electric cars & sharing offers are helpful, but not enough.
Change needs strategy: the mobility turnaround will only succeed with clear incentives and a political framework.
Summary of this study
This study examines the complex relationship between tourism and climate change using Austria as an example. It looks at both past developments and expected future trends in tourism transport - namely their impact on greenhouse gas emissions and the influence of climate change on tourists' travel behavior.
Three quarters of tourists travel to Austria by car and around 10% by plane, which contributes significantly to the sector's greenhouse gas emissions. If the pre-COVID-19 trends continue, we can expect an increase in guests from more distant home markets and more air travel.
Although environmentally friendly technologies, well thought-out mobility management and social trends towards shared mobility solutions can improve the environmental footprint of tourism, they are not enough to achieve the climate targets of the Paris Agreement. Further strong incentives are needed to avoid these unsustainable forms of mobility and to shift travel to climate-friendly modes of transport. The number and distance of tourism trips can be reduced by focusing marketing more on closer rather than more distant home markets and promoting longer stays.
Local tourism stakeholders in Austria can contribute to this through awareness campaigns and the promotion of sustainable mobility solutions at vacation destinations. Policymakers must facilitate this change through appropriate framework conditions, for example by fully including climate costs in all means of transportation.
Recommendations for management: In order to significantly reduce travel-related greenhouse gas emissions, tourism cannot rely solely on technical solutions (electric vehicles) and trends (sharing). It must also initiate a shift from air and private road transport to rail and public transport. This requires measures that create incentives (fast and direct train and bus connections, climate-friendly local transport, luggage service, attractive all-inclusive offers, etc.). It is also important to focus on closer rather than more distant home markets, promote longer stays and run awareness campaigns for local stakeholders and tourists. The awareness created by the COVID-19 and climate crisis can be seen as an opportunity to implement these measures.
Findings from this study
- The transport sector is a significant contributor to climate change, accounting for around 29% of Austria's total CO2 emissions in 2017.
- Between 1990 and 2017, emissions from the transport sector increased by around 72%, which is mainly due to the increase in demand for transportation.
- Despite improvements in local public transport services, the arrival and departure of holidaymakers in Austria is not yet sustainable.
- The implementation of climate-friendly mobility concepts requires the involvement and cooperation of stakeholders from the transport and tourism sectors in equal measure.