Tourismus & Hotellerie

Good figures, a difficult day-to-day reality

What really concerns South Tyrol’s hoteliers in 2026

Dramatisches Bergpanorama mit Blick auf die Langkofelgruppe in Südtirol, davor alpiner Nadelwald. Im Vordergrund Textoverlay: "Hotellerie Südtirol Update: Gute Zahlen – schwieriger Alltag.

Record overnight stays, rising room rates, and yet uncertainty is growing. Why the current figures tell only half the story.

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2025 was a record year. More than 38 million overnight stays in South Tyrol, room rates at an all-time high, and guests willing to pay higher prices. Anyone reading the headlines might think the industry has made it. But those working behind the reception desk see things differently.

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South Tyrol, spring 2026. The season is in full swing. Bookings are coming in – but later and later. What used to be booked weeks in advance often ends up in the system just five days before arrival. Guests are planning at shorter notice, making more spontaneous decisions and taking longer to compare options.

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That’s the new normal.

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2025 was a record year for tourism in South Tyrol: for the first time, more than 38 million overnight stays were recorded. According to ASTAT, visitor arrivals rose again by about three percent. On paper, this sounds like a boom. At the same time, risks have increased: The war in the Middle East has driven up gas and oil prices and could significantly fuel overall inflation. Added to this is the ongoing uncertainty caused by U.S. tariffs.

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In short: The numbers are good. The situation is not.

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Last-minute bookings are the new normal

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According to a recent survey by Kohl & Partner, last-minute bookings are a burden for 46 percent of the businesses surveyed in South Tyrol, and for the first time, this issue has been identified as the top problem with such clarity. Previously, the shortage of skilled workers was the most pressing issue. Today, it is predictability.

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For many family-run businesses, this means that while occupancy rates are good at the end of the month, figuring out how to make ends meet throughout the month is another matter entirely. Revenue management, which used to be a luxury, is becoming a basic necessity.

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The costs are eating into the profits

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Good news: Room rates in South Tyrol currently stand at around 379 euros per room - an increase of 7.4 percent - and the higher rates are largely accepted by the market as long as the value proposition is right.

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Bad news: Costs are rising faster. According to the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO), operating costs in the hotel industry have risen by more than 30 percent since 2019. Energy, food, and labor costs have been particularly hard hit with labor costs accounting for over 40 percent of revenue in many businesses.

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Every hotelier is familiar with this pattern: revenue is growing, but margins remain flat-or are shrinking. According to industry analyses, EBITDA margins are on the decline, and many businesses are performing below pre-pandemic levels.

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Germany's weakness directly affects South Tyrol

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A structural risk that is often underestimated: German guests account for 62.1 percent of all overnight stays in South Tyrol. When consumer sentiment in Germany wanes, South Tyrol feels the impact immediately. The Prodinger Trend Report warns: The high concentration on a few source markets increases vulnerability to economic fluctuations. Germany’s current economic weakness is already affecting bookings as early as 2026, particularly in the mid-price segment.

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Anyone who still relies exclusively on the German market today should at least be aware of this dependence - and keep an eye on the relevant figures.

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Sentiment lags behind the numbers

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Although South Tyrol continues to post above-average figures, the mood has noticeably soured. Helmut List of Kohl & Partner sums it up: “Although the indicators are actually positive, fears about the market environment are prevailing.”

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That’s not irrational. Geopolitical uncertainty, volatile energy prices, and short-term booking patterns - all of these factors make operational planning more difficult. Those who used to base their calculations on stable advance bookings and reliable cost structures now find themselves operating in a different environment.

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What this means for day-to-day operations

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South Tyrol is a strong tourist destination. But these days, the season is won by those who don’t just wait for demand to materialize, but who get a handle on their numbers early enough. Specifically, this means:

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If you want to respond to short-term booking trends, you need liquidity buffers and up-to-date data - not financial statements from last winter. If you want to offset rising costs, you need to know exactly where your margins are being eroded. And if you’re heavily dependent on the German market, you should make that dependency transparent - so that your decisions are informed, not made in the dark.

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This is not a call for digitalization for its own sake. It is simply a matter of asking: How much insight into its own financial situation does a business need when operating in an increasingly unpredictable market?

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About profitize

profitize is a financial tool designed specifically for hoteliers. It integrates PMS, accounting, bank accounts, POS, and energy data into a single, centralized interface -providing real-time visibility into the business’s key performance metrics. No more manual analysis, no more data gaps between different systems. If you want to know how your business is performing today - not just at the end of the month - visit profitize.io to learn more.

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