Even in the second “Corona year”, travel and vacation operations were very limited.

Although overnight stays on Austrian campsites have fallen by around 2019 percent compared to 11, the Austrian Camping Club (ÖCC) is pleased that the number of overnight stays from 2021 to 2020 has increased by around 6 percent. In the past season, a total of around 6 million camping overnight stays were registered. "Free, flexible, close to nature - that's how most describe the advantages of this travel option and many campers didn't want to do without that in 2021 either," explains Tomas Mehlmauer, President of the Austrian Camping Club (ÖCC). Carinthia (plus 9 percent), Tyrol (plus 3,8 percent) and Salzburg (plus 4,8 percent) in particular were frequently visited with camper vans, mobile homes and the like.

The growing enthusiasm for the camping lifestyle is also reflected in the fact that, of all the types of accommodation, camping is the only one to show an increase in the number of overnight stays compared to 2020. In the tourism year 2020/21, however, not only did the number of overnight stays increase, but there was also a significant increase in the number of campsites in Austria - campers can now choose between 647 campsites throughout Austria, 45 places more than in the previous year (source: Statistics Austria).

Due to the pandemic, forecasts for the 2022 camping season remain uncertain, but Tomas Mehlmauer remains confident: "A major advantage of camping in pandemic times is that physical distance can be easily maintained and campers spend most of their vacation in the fresh air spend". With regard to holiday planning, the provisions should be checked and checked again shortly before departure so that nothing stands in the way of your camping adventure. “More and more people appreciate the advantages of camping – especially the flexibility and the feeling of freedom. We are particularly pleased that this is also reflected in the ever-increasing number of memberships in the Austrian Camping Club,” says Mehlmauer.