A traditional tourist destination, Switzerland is now trying to keep up with the competition by exporting know-how.

Switzerland is one of the world's oldest tourist destinations. Twenty years ago, it was still among the top ten. Since then, tourism has stagnated, having been overtaken by the boom in large parts of Asia and the Gulf States. Half of Swiss revenues from the tourist industry come from foreigners. Winter tourism generates the most income in mountain regions. Cities like Zurich, Geneva and Basel have become popular as short-stay destinations. However, the number of hotels is declining even if Swiss hospitality schools have retained their excellent international reputations.

SFr23 billion in revenue for the national tourism sector in 2005, including SFr13 billion from foreign visitors.

6 million nights were spent by Germans in Swiss hotels in 2005, out of more than 18 million nights spent by foreigners in total.

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