After several difficult years, the Swiss hotel industry is recovering. There were 37.4 million overnight stays in 2017 – 5.2% more than in the previous year and nearly as many as the record years of 1990 and 2008.
The increase came from locals as well as foreigners. Total domestic demand increased by 4.2% to 16.9 million overnight stays – the highest number of Swiss-based guests ever, the Federal Statistical Office reported on Thursday.
Meanwhile, foreign guests accounted for 20.5 million overnights – an increase of 6.1%. After a decline in 2016, there were 12.8% more Asians (588,000), 12.3% more Americans (+307,000) and 2.2% more Europeans (+255.000) in 2017.
However, there was a 4.1% decline in the number of guests from the Gulf States, which amounted to 39,000 fewer overnight stays.
All tourist regions benefitted from the boom, reported the statistics office, with the Bern region enjoying an 8.2% increase in overnight stays, and Ticino another 7.7%.
In 2015 and 2016, the Swiss hotel industry suffered on account of the strong franc and a proliferation of terrorist attacks across Europe that deterred tourists.
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More and more tourists from Arab countries, especially the Gulf, are visiting Switzerland, above all Geneva. These are the tourists who spend the most in Switzerland, on average CHF500 ($515) a day. Owing to their regular presence, their large number and their preference for luxury hotels, where they stay for longer than other guests, tourists…
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