Upper Austria outdoor pools report sharp summer increase

Outdoor pools in Upper Austria recorded significantly more visitors this summer than last year, ORF reported. Operators attributed the increase mainly to the many sunny days. Linz recorded 16 percent more swimmers from May through the end of August than in 2025.

The Solarbad Altmünster outdoor pool reported a particularly positive interim result, with visitor numbers up by about 13 percent, according to operator Eleonore Schütze.

The Strandbad Gmunden lakeside pool also benefited from the weather. Visitors praised the consistently good conditions and the pool’s location directly on Lake Traunsee.

At the Welldorado Wels pool, manager Michael Sellner described the season as good. The busiest day brought around 5,500 visitors. The city expects substantially more guests this year than during the difficult summer of 2025, when about 70,700 visitors were recorded.

Despite the strong attendance, operators said financial challenges remained. Lulzim Fejzullahi said more people, particularly younger ones, were building pools at home, meaning visitor numbers no longer increased as sharply as they once did. Wels also said season tickets were especially popular.

The LINZ AG pool operator likewise reported a significant increase, although its final figures for the season were not yet available. In Eferding, where the season is already ending, Mayor Christian Penn said public pools remained a financial burden for municipalities and could not be run at break-even.

Eferding will allow dogs to swim in the pool on September 19 in exchange for voluntary donations.