Hotels and restaurants complain of lost profits due to Covid certificate

No certificate, no beer. Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Swiss hoteliers and restaurateurs have seen turnover drop by an average of 27.6% since the introduction of the Covid certificate in mid-September, according to a survey of the sector.

Some 81.3% of surveyed establishments reported a downturn in business since the introduction of a mandatory certificate for guests, said hotel and restaurant federation Gastrosuisse on Friday.

The survey was carried out among 2,337 Gastrosuisse members.

Rural restaurants reported being the most affected, with a fall in turnover of 31.5%. Overall, just 3.4% of respondents reporting benefitting after the certificate was introduced.

Three-quarters of all respondents also said they were worried about increasing cancellations by clients, especially as colder weather approaches (currently, those without certificates can eat in outdoor areas of the restaurants). Four out of 10 meanwhile said they had already experienced “critical confrontations” in their establishments, due to the tensions around the certificate.

Gastrosuisse president Casimir Platzer called in a press release for fresh funding to be provided by the authorities to shore up hard-hit restaurants.

The association had previously announced that it would not issue a clear directive to its members as to how to vote in the November 28 referendum on the Covid law, which will notably impact the fate of the certificate. It would leave this as a free choice, it said.