Hotel trade records best ever winter season
The Swiss hotel trade recorded a record number of overnight stays during last year's winter season.
The Federal Office for Statistics reported on Tuesday the number of overnight stays between November and April rose by just over half a million – 3.5 per cent more than the 2000 winter season.
It was the best result since records began in 1934, and underlined the extent to which the tourist trade in Switzerland has recovered since the slump of the early 1990s.
The high value of the dollar against the Swiss franc, good snow conditions and strong levels of consumer confidence were among the reasons cited for the record result.
The tourism industry has been recovering for the past five years. But last year’s result was still nearly 11 per cent above the average for the last five years.
However, the summer season has not started as well. Statistics for May, released on Tuesday, Hotels recorded 2.23 million overnight stays last month – a drop of 1.4 per cent on the same month last year.
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