Austrian Tourism Presents Facts About Energy Consumption
State Secretary Kraus-Winkler: Responsible use of resources is the "need of the hour" for tourism.
"Saving energy affects us all. In view of the current developments in the energy sector, however, the possible savings potential of the Austrian tourism industry must be considered in relation to its economic importance and value creation. Tourism's contribution to GDP in 2021 is 4.1 percent (before Corona, the GDP was share 7.6 percent) and that of the leisure industry 6.2 percent. The share of the tourism industry (gastronomy, hotel industry and cable cars) in Austria's total energy consumption is relatively small and, according to surveys by the Federal Environment Agency, is 1.5 percents" said State Secretary Kraus-Winkler at the press conference on energy consumption in tourism.
Federal Environment Agency provides data and facts on energy consumption in tourism
According to the Federal Environment Agency, the accommodation, gastronomy and cable car sectors - the core sectors of domestic tourism - account for 1.55 percent of Austria's final energy consumption (Ø 2017 - 2019). Assuming that 80 percent of the energy consumption of cable cars and infrastructure and 100 percent of slope preparation and snowmaking and 50 percent of accommodation and gastronomy occurs in winter, the final energy consumption for winter tourism is 2,780 GWh. "This means that winter tourism accounts for 0.9 percent of annual Austrian final energy consumption. Our analysis also shows a drastic reduction in energy consumption between 2008 and 2019, During this period, overnight stays increased by around 20 percent and energy consumption fell by 44 percent. In concrete terms, this means a reduction in energy consumption of more than 50 percent per overnight stay. Tourism is therefore a role model," says Monika Mörth, Managing Director of the Federal Environment Agency.
Best-practice examples and eco-labels from the industry demonstrate responsible action
Despite low energy consumption, the industry is working intensively to achieve environmental and climate protection goals, to operate even more energy-efficiently, to use resources even more carefully and to invest even more in renewable energy sources.
"We make sure that our energy management meets modern requirements. The careful use of energy is particularly important to us. Our systematic energy management supports the sustainable reduction of energy consumption - through continuous energy saving, renewable energy sources, the conscious use of energy and training or Raising awareness among employees This is good for the environment and saves costs," says Wolfgang Binder, owner of Café Frauenhuber. Thanks to a broad-based sustainability concept, the company can not only save costs in the long term, but more and more guests are using sustainability as a reason for their decision of the booking. "We live in and with nature - a resource-saving approach is therefore part of our business model.Regular thermal renovations, employee training in sustainability and needs-based use of the wellness facility are examples of our actions," says Frank Bläuel, Managing Director of the Berghotel Tulbingerkogel.
For years, the tourism industry has been taking measures to reduce energy consumption on the one hand and to diversify energy sources on the other. On the one hand, this is reflected in the share of renewable energy, which, according to Statistics Austria, has risen from 36 percent in 2008 to 54 percent in 2019. This means that these areas are well above the Austrian value (34 percent in 2019) and above the target of the Austrian federal government to achieve a share of 50 percent by 2030. On the other hand, the energy consumption per overnight stay in the accommodation has been reduced by 54 percent since 2008 (as of 2019).
Energy requirements for cable cars have been reduced by 20 percent over the past ten years. In addition, tourism companies, such as cable cars or some thermal baths, sometimes generate considerable amounts of energy themselves.
"Ultimately, it's about securing jobs and prosperity through functioning winter tourism in the Alpine regions. In any case, this requires cable cars and technical snowmaking. The cable cars of the Schmittenhöhebahn AG are operated 100 percent with renewable energies," says Erich Egger, CEO Schmittenhöhebahn.
Tourism creates added value and jobs
Tourism is not just about entrepreneurs, it is also about employees, suppliers and value chains. Declining tourism burdens entire regions. After two years of the pandemic, further losses would hardly be bearable. In order to get companies that are particularly affected by the rising energy costs through this difficult time in the best possible way, the federal government has decided on an energy cost subsidy. Tourism businesses will also benefit from this.
Nevertheless, voluntary savings are the "need of the hour", says Kraus-Winkler and gives three reasons for this: "Firstly, the rising prices mean that companies are required to save energy. Secondly, all sectors are currently required to use the available reserves responsibly, so that we can get through the winter together as well as possible. And thirdly, saving energy is an important signal, both from a geopolitical point of view and with regard to structural change towards more sustainability," concludes Kraus-Winkler.
