Switzerland expects bumper summer for tourism
Swiss hotels and holiday hotspots are looking forward to another record summer with Chinese guests in particular predicted to boost overnight stays by 0.4%, according to the KOF Swiss Economic Institute.
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Around 100,000 more visitors are expected to arrive in Switzerland compared to last summer. For the summer of 2025, the ETH Zurich research centre even expects growth of 2%.
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While the global economy is gradually recovering from its economic weakness this year, the development of the Swiss franc remains a decisive factor for tourism in Switzerland, according to the communiqué. And the recent weakening of the Swiss franc should prove advantageous for local tourism.
KOF now only expects 1.5% fewer Swiss people to take holidays in their own country. Previously, it had forecast a drop of 4% among domestic holidaymakers. Once long-distance travel by Swiss people returns to normal levels, the number of overnight stays is likely to increase in line with population growth and rise again by 2025.
According to the research centre, the number of guests from Europe is also likely to decline in the coming summer, as the long-term negative trend in European tourism from before the pandemic is set to continue.
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The KOF forecast therefore remains unchanged at -4% for this market. For the summer of 2025, the research centre expects the level of overnight stays to remain roughly the same.
KOF nevertheless expects an increase in overnight stays in the summer, with experts predicting that long-distance travellers will more than compensate for the shortfall in guests from Europe and Switzerland. Travellers from the United States and China will drive growth, they say.
The number of overnight stays by American travellers will remain at a high level, albeit with slight growth, according to KOF. An increase of 1% is expected for North America as a whole.
The research centre expects overnight stays by Chinese tourists to remain well below pre-pandemic levels. However, their gradual return should make a clear contribution to the growth in overnight stays. Compared to the previous year, KOF expects an increase of 47%.
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In addition, international events such as the UEFA European football championship in Germany and the Olympic Games in France are likely to have a positive impact on interest in travelling to Switzerland, the report continues.
Translated from German by DeepL/mga
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