The Swiss hotel industry is confronting a wave of cancelled bookings after the discovery of another variant of the coronavirus, Omicron, the Sunday weekly SonntagsZeitung reported.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/ds
Many Belgian, British and Dutch guests have already cancelled their Christmas holidays in the Alpine nation, it said.
At least 27 countries – about half of them in Europe – have reported cases of this new coronavirus variant of concern, which was first identified in South Africa.
In the central Bernese Oberland region, for example, hotels are reporting up to 50% cancellations.
In Bern, the Swiss capital, company Christmas dinners and other events are also being cancelled in droves.
“The current situation is catastrophic for many hotels,” Claude Meier, director of the umbrella organisation Hotelleriesuisse, told the German-language newspaper.
He urged parliament to once again extend the hardship package which expires at the end of the year. Swiss legislators are due to debate the issue on Monday.
Switzerland commits CHF50 million to combat rural poverty worldwide
This content was published on
The Federal Council approved a contribution of CHF49.5 million ($54.1 million) for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Arrests made in raid against Turkish criminal organisation
This content was published on
A cross-border raid against a Turkish criminal organisation was conducted, including property searches in cantons Aargau and Zurich.
Up to 4,000 Swiss army soldiers to protect Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The Federal Council has authorised deployment of army personnel for the Ukraine peace conference on the Bürgenstock in June.
This content was published on
The business association, Swissmem, reports that there are increasing signs that the bottom of the downturn will be reached this year.
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.