The number of overnight stays rose by 2.6% to 42.8 million last year, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Thursday. The industry thus broke the overnight stays record set in 2023 with 41.8 million overnight stays.
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Mass tourism in Switzerland: beneficial or detrimental?
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The new high emerged at the end of last year. Overnight stay records were already set in the 2023/24 winter season and the 2024 summer season. At an increase of 7%, bookings were particularly strong in the month of December. In 2024, all months except April (-3.2%) and September (-1.1%) recorded an increase compared to the same month in the previous year.
The increase for the year as a whole was particularly strong among foreign tourists. Their demand increased by 5.1% to 22.0 million overnight stays. This was the highest level for 50 years.
While European demand weakened due to the strong Swiss franc and the subdued economy, the long-haul markets remained the most important growth driver. Guests from the US accounted for more than three quarters of foreign tourists. Americans also played an increasingly important role in the winter.
Domestic demand, on the other hand, remained at a similar level to the previous year at 20.9 million overnight stays (+0.1%).
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
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