Swiss hoteliers sleep easy

Swiss hotel owners and managers are looking back on one of the most successful winter seasons in recent years. The federal statistics office says the number of overnight stays rose by 5.7 per cent in the six months from November to April.

In total, there were 14.5 million overnight stays in Swiss hotels over the winter. Bookings from abroad were particularly strong, rising 6.7 per cent. There was a marked increase in the number of German and British tourists.

The statistics office said early snow at the beginning of the season in November, as good snow and weather conditions contributed to the success of the winter season. Other factors were a favourable exchange rate, the strength of the international economy, and greater efforts to promote Switzerland abroad.

And foreign visitors cited good value for money as one of the reasons they spent their winter holiday in Switzerland.

However, there is still considerable room for growth. The figures also reveal that more than 55 per cent of rooms were unoccupied over the season.

swissinfo with agencies