In all, 14.6 million overnight stays were recorded in Swiss hotels and other accommodation for the November 2021-April 2022 period, the Federal Statistical Office reportedExternal link on Tuesday.
This represents a 54% (+5.1 million) increase compared with the 2020/2021 winter season.
Foreign guests returned to Switzerland in large numbers last winter, representing a 197% increase or +3.7 million more overnight stays than the previous winter season. The total number rose to 5.6 million. Foreign visitors came mostly from Germany, Britain, France, the United States, Italy and the Netherlands.
During the 2020/2021 winter season, strict pandemic travel restrictions prevented foreign travellers from entering Switzerland.
The statistics office said domestic demand had also gone up last winter by 18.9%, or +1.4 million additional overnight stays, taking the total to nine million which represents a new record.
All mountain regions saw more visitors. Overnight stays in the Bernese Oberland rose by 47%, while Valais (+41%) and Graubünden (32%) also witnessed big increases.
City breaks were also popular last winter. Overnight stays were up in Geneva (+189%), Zurich (+152%) and Basel (112%).
Overnight stays in the Swiss Alps for the 2021/2021 winter season were higher than for the comparable period in 2019/2020 before the pandemic, the office said. However, overnight stays for cities are still down: -7.6% (Basel region) and -6.1% (Zurich region).
This content was published on
Viola Amherd has expressed her “deep shock” at the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday.
This content was published on
A man injured half a dozen people with knives, two of them seriously, before being arrested on Wednesday in northern Switzerland.
Switzerland to introduce flight passenger database
This content was published on
Switzerland plans to introduce a flight passenger database to collect and process personal data in a bid to combat terrorism and serious crime.
Government plans to invest over CHF16bn in Swiss rail network
This content was published on
The federal government intends to invest CHF16.4 billion ($18.1 billion) in railway infrastructure between 2025 and 2028, CHF2 billion more than for the current period.
Swiss to vote on pension reform and biodiversity in September
This content was published on
Swiss citizens will vote on occupational pension schemes and a biodiversity initiative on September 22, the Federal Council announced on Wednesday.
Ukraine peace talks: 50 countries have confirmed participation
This content was published on
To date, 50 countries out 160 invited delegations have confirmed they will attend the Ukraine peace conference, held in central Switzerland in mid-June, according to Swiss public radio, RTS.
This content was published on
Some Swiss ski regions have reported a big rush as people headed to the slopes on Saturday after heavy snow in large parts of the country.
This content was published on
In the last 50 years, the winter snow season has shrunk by an average of 22 to 34 days in Alpine areas below 2,000 metres.
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.