Carinthia tourism gains visitors as stays grow shorter

Tourist arrivals in Carinthia rose 7.8 percent from May to September, while overnight stays increased 3.1 percent, ORF reports.

September brought nearly 40,000 more arrivals than a year earlier, a rise of 12.4 percent. Overnight stays grew by only a little more than half as much, reflecting a broader trend towards shorter, more frequent holidays, said Klaus Ehrenbrandner of Carinthia Werbung.

Ehrenbrandner said shorter trips were not driven by visitors’ budgets. Improved air and rail connections have made it easier to reach destinations, allowing people to take shorter holidays and add more trips throughout the year, he said.

The new Koralmbahn railway has brought a notable increase in visitors from Styria and Vienna. Visitor numbers from eastern Europe have also been rising for years.

Nature and hiking are especially popular in autumn, Ehrenbrandner said. A new offer called Rail & Trail lets visitors start a hiking route directly from a railway station. The autumn school holidays could provide a further boost to visitor numbers.