During the pandemic, staycations in the Alpine country or holidays in neighbouring countries were extremely popular among Swiss residents. But this is no longer the case and “people want to take the plane again”, Andi Restle, who has been running the tour operator ITS Coop Travel for the past 16 years, told Sonntagszeitung on Sunday.
Business has definitely picked up, with holidaymakers feeling a “huge need to catch up”, he said.
After two difficult years, Restle said he was initially hoping 2022 sales would be around 75% of the 2019 level. “But by the end of the year we should be at 85%,” he said.
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Fasten your seatbelt: aviation emissions are about to take off again
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After two years of pandemic restrictions, demand for flights is soaring.
For Swiss package tour operators, southern Turkey was the most popular destination in 2022, followed by Majorca, Crete, Rhodes, Cyprus and Egypt. The Maldives, the Dominican Republic and the United Arab Emirates remain the most popular long-distance package destinations.
“The reasons are simple: there were enough flights; the prices were attractive,” said Restle.
Meanwhile, Swiss hotel owners reported a sharp rise in overnight stays last summer compared to the previous year, it was reported last week. The ending of Covid-19 restrictions in spring 2022 led to a surge in foreign visitors (+84.6%) compared to the previous summer.
But the overall number of overnight stays in Swiss hotels is still down by 1.3% compared to summer 2019, before the pandemic.
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Swiss hotel industry enjoyed bumper summer season
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Hotel owners reported a big rise in overnight stays last summer compared to the previous year. But figures were still lower than for summer 2019.
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Swiss hotel industry enjoyed bumper summer season
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Hotel owners reported a big rise in overnight stays last summer compared to the previous year. But figures were still lower than for summer 2019.
Winter energy woes cast shadow over Swiss ski season
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Swiss resorts are gearing up for a bumper season. But soaring power prices have resort managers scrambling for ways to save energy.
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The heatwave and beautiful weather last summer meant many people decided to chill out at home, according to the TCS travel barometer 2019External link, published on Monday by the Touring Club of Switzerland. Italian-speaking Ticino and Graubünden in eastern Switzerland topped the attractivity ranking, followed by Italy, which just pipped canton Valais. These destinations were followed…
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