Four economists polled by Hina had forecast that spending in September would rise 0.1% on the year on average.
Compared to August, retail trade in September rose 0.2% in nominal but dipped 0.3% in real terms. The real decline was due to a 60% drop in tourist arrivals and a 65% drop in bed/nights, Raiffeisenbank Austria (RBA) analysts said.
Since the tourist season is over, it is difficult to expect spending to significantly improve in the months ahead as it mainly depends on domestic demand.
RBA analysts predict retail trade to grow only 0.2% this year due to high consumer pessimism and weak prospects of positive results on the labour market.