Business is improving for the hotel and catering industry and companies look forward to the coming months with confidence, industry representatives told a press conference on Friday. However, inflation poses challenges for them as well. Apart from the high cost, the reluctance of customers to spend is also being felt.
As a recent market survey of Austrian gastronomy and tourism companies shows, the hotel industry in particular is more satisfied with the summer season than in the previous year. This is particularly noticeable in the city’s hotel industry, according to Johann Spritzhofer, president of the hotel industry association at the Chamber of Commerce (WKO). In cities such as Graz and Innsbruck, the number of overnight stays will already exceed pre-corona levels. Overall, the booking position of domestic airlines for autumn and winter is better than last time.
A similar picture emerges in gastronomy. More than 70 percent of companies there are now expressing optimism about their position. Mario Pulker, President of the WKÖ Gastro Division, said every fifth company and thus recently even more positive. At the same time, the reluctance to consume has an even greater impact on the catering business, especially since it is visited more often than the hotel industry. According to Pulker, 30 percent of companies are currently reporting a decline in sales, noting that most “had to swallow the cost increase themselves”.
