Overnight hotel stays fell by more than 40% during the summer as Switzerland locked down against coronavirus. The pandemic has also battered the finances of the airline industry, but most smaller companies have retained some optimism for the future.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Official statistics revealed on Monday that Swiss hotels had 9.3 million fewer overnight stays between May and October than for the same period in 2019. While more people living in Switzerland booked into hotels, the number of foreign guests fell by three quarters. Overnight stays have been put at 10.2 million for the summer months.
Last week Zurich airport said it was losing CHF1 million ($1.1 million) a day as passenger numbers fell to a trickle. Despite the dire situation, the airport last month went ahead with opening its flagship ‘Circle’ conferencing, leisure and retail centre, which had been many years in the planning.
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) says it is losing up to CHF2 million a day as quarantine restrictions throughout the world continue to put people off flying. SWISS CEO Thomas Klühr says future prospects will only look up when vaccines start to roll out among populations.
But not all companies are facing such difficulties. Nearly 60% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Switzerland are holding out hopes for improved conditions, according to a recent survey. This makes Swiss firms among the most positive in Europe, according to the joint study by Facebook, the World Bank and the OECD.
A quarter of Swiss SMEs surveyed said they were able to generate at least half of their income through digital channels. This puts Switzerland in the middle field of digital sales success in Europe. Smaller companies in Ireland and Britain have the most efficient means of raising income through digitisation, the report concludes.
The number of bankruptcies in Switzerland is a fifth lower than normal, according to Creditreform, the Swiss association of creditors. But this is only as a result of emergency credit guarantees and deferrals on companies’ social security payments that has helped them through the early stages of the pandemic.
Ecological status of Swiss streams insufficient according to study
This content was published on
Pesticide use and obstructions of waterways have a particularly negative impact on sensitive organisms, completely absent in 70% of streams analysed.
Train line between Brig and Domodossola interrupted
This content was published on
One day after a derailment approximately 15 kilometres from the Swiss border, BLS is running buses for passengers between Preglia and Domodossola, in Italy.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
This content was published on
Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This content was published on
Swiss tour operator Hotelplan is cutting around 430 jobs, including 170 in Switzerland as the coronavirus crisis takes a toll on the travel industry.
Swiss International Air Lines’ turnover halved due to coronavirus
This content was published on
The economic repercussions of the coronavirus have caused turnover at the airline to fall by 55% in the first half of 2020.
Covid bankruptcies: Swiss liquidators ramp up hiring
This content was published on
As employers struggle to stay afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic, one employer has launched a recruitment drive: the Zurich liquidation service.
This content was published on
A survey of the Swiss watch industryExternal link by consultants Deloitte has found wide-ranging and deep pessimism. The sector has been beset by the same pandemic woes as other industries. Watch exports, which had risen from CHF9 billion ($10 billion) to CHF21 billion over the last 20 years, have been drastically reduced in 2020. Only…
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.