Number of US tourists in Switzerland approaches all-time high
Tourism hotspot Lucerne, in central Switzerland.
Keystone
The number of overnight stays in Switzerland by American visitors between January and October 2023 rose by 20% compared to the pre-Covid year of 2019, RTS public radio reports.
This content was published on
3 minutes
RTS
US tourists spent 2.7 million nights in Switzerland between January and October 2023 and the figure could rise to 3 million by December 31, RTS said on SaturdayExternal link. According to statistics for the last forty years, this is the highest figure ever recorded.
The number of US visitors has been rising sharply for over a decade and has doubled in 15 years. These tourists largely head to cities like Zurich, Lucerne, Geneva, Basel and Bern, and mountain regions such as Zermatt, Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken and Grindelwald.
In Valais, the increase in overnight stays is particularly significant, says Alessandro Marcolin, communications director for the canton’s tourism body. He noted a 43% increase between January and October 2023 compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
“This can be explained by a rebound in tourism activities and a catch-up effect after the Covid years, when Americans travelled very little,” he told RTS.
“Switzerland is well positioned for this return to intercontinental tourism because it managed the pandemic well,” Marcolin said. “It’s a safe place with good infrastructure, which inspires a feeling of security. It’s certainly a destination favoured by Americans.”
More
Debate
Hosted by:
Veronica DeVore
Have you encountered “overtourism”? How should popular destinations deal with it?
Places like Venice or Barcelona, and destinations in the Swiss Alps, are struggling with an influx of tourists. What to do?
According to the national Switzerland Tourism body, the influx can also be explained by marketing efforts which continued throughout the pandemic. Indeed, exchanges between professionals in the tourism sector remained constant.
The international economic situation also play a role. Unemployment is historically low in the US, while inflation is lower in Switzerland than in the US or other European countries, making it a comparatively more attractive destination for these largely affluent visitors.
Overall, Americans still rank third in terms of overnight stays in Switzerland. The Swiss themselves still account for most stays, followed by Germans.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
This content was published on
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
This content was published on
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.