Swiss tourism suffered greatly from the consequences of the coronavirus. In 2020, overnight stays fell by a full 40 percent compared to the previous year.
Last year, the industry was able to recover slightly. From January to December, a good 29.4 million overnight stays were registered in Switzerland – an increase of 24 percent. However, it is still a long way from the pre-crisis level.
At its annual media conference, the tourism board "Switzerland Tourism" looks to the future with optimism. One of the reasons is the "enthusiasm of the Swiss for vacations in their own country." Last year, an all-time record had been set in this respect.
In addition, the new relaxations of the Corona rules would give great confidence. "Nothing stands in the way of a better year with a colorful variety of guests," the board stated.
Last week, Switzerland Tourism took the pulse of the tourism industry and revealed how the winter season had gone so far. Thanks to very good snow and weather conditions during the last few weeks, there are currently around 25 percent more overnight stays than last year – in terms of frequencies, the figure is likely to be as high as 35 percent.
Sales by European guests from the UK, Germany and Italy more than doubled in the first seven weeks of the year compared with the previous year. Overall, credit card sales had even increased by around 80 percent during this period. "Swiss tourism is therefore doing well so far this winter," stated Hotellerie Suisse.
However, the start of the season was chaotic due to staff shortages caused by quarantine and isolation regulations. The complicated processes due to the constantly changing regulations surrounding the Covid certificates had also caused extra work.
In large cities, half of the guests were still absent last year. Across Switzerland, however, 75 percent of overnight stays were recorded compared to pre-crisis levels.
