Revenue from international tourism fell by almost 48% to CHF9.4 billion ($10.3 billion), reaching the same level seen in the early 1990s, the Federal Statistics Office said on Monday.
At the same time, Swiss residents spent about CHF9.7 billion on trips abroad last year – a drop of nearly 50%.
Hotel and catering was the hardest hit industry after the government imposed travel restrictions and ordered the temporary closure of restaurants and non-essential shops from March to June 2020.
The number of overnight stays of foreign tourists nosedived by 56%, while consumer spending by cross-border workers and people with short-residency status decreased to a lesser extent, a statementExternal link said.
Expenditure not related to hotel stays plummeted by a third, resulting in a drop in revenue of about CHF2 billion.
Last October a senior official of the economics ministry said he expected Swiss tourism to suffer from the impact of the Covid pandemic until 2024.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Pro-Palestine uni protests to be debated in Swiss parliament
This content was published on
The Swiss People’s Party says it will launch two postulates calling for clarifications about the recent student protests and occupations.
This content was published on
A 36-year-old man from Ticino lost his life on Saturday in Val Malvaglia, in the north of canton Ticino, during a wingsuit jump from a plane.
Swiss Evangelical Reformed Church numbers dropping in French-speaking Switzerland
This content was published on
As in German-speaking Switzerland, the number of members of the Reformed Church in French-speaking Switzerland is also declining.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 20km during holiday weekend
This content was published on
The traffic jam at the Gotthard north portal reached a length of 20 kilometres on the motorway between canton Nidwalden and canton Uri.
Swiss Interior Minister visits Cannes Film Festival
This content was published on
Swiss Interior Minister left the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday after three days of intensive dialogue, meetings and film screenings.
Swiss theatre director breaks with tradition at Vienna’s Rathausplatz
This content was published on
With the proclamation of the "Free Republic of Vienna", the start of the festival on Friday evening was unusually political.
Covid-19: More than 40,000 catering jobs lost in 2020
This content was published on
More than 40,000 people in the Swiss hospitality and catering industry lost their jobs last year owing to Covid-related closures.
This content was published on
Bookings for the winter tourism season in Switzerland are down by almost 30% compared with last year, the Swiss tourism board said on Monday.
Swiss tourism boss says ski resort openings have been justified
This content was published on
Martin Nydegger reckons the decision to open ski resorts in the country this winter has – so far – proven to be a good one.
This content was published on
You won’t get a discount if you tell your travel agent that you read this article when you book your trip to Switzerland.
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.