Tourists on the Titlis mountain in central Switzerland on June 26, 2019. (KEYSTONE/Alexandra Wey)
Keystone / Alexandra Wey
The Swiss hotel industry registered 39.6 million overnight stays across the country last year – a new record. However, tourism officials expect the Covid-19 outbreak to have an impact in 2020.
Some 21.6 million overnight stays were booked by foreign visitors (+1.1%/+246 000), while demand was also strong among Swiss holidaymakers (+509,000/+2.9%).
There was a large rise in the number of Americans (+234 000 overnight stays / +7.7%), and sizeable increases from China (excluding Hong Kong/+2.4%), Hong Kong (+22.9%), Taiwan (+23.7%) and Japan (+6,900 / +1.8%).
Meanwhile, the number of overnight stays by visitors from Gulf states fell by 82,000 (–8.7%) while the figure for Europe was down slightly, with Italy, Spain, Britain and France recording the biggest declines.
Most Swiss regions benefited, with Zurich, Valais, Graubünden and Bern enjoying sizeable increases.
Outlook for 2020
Tourism officials are anxiously watching the unfolding coronavirus outbreak and its potential impact. Chinese holidaymakers, especially group holiday tours, represent the third biggest source of overnight stays in Switzerland after Germans and the Americans. In five years, the number of overnight stays by Chinese visitors has increased by 48.8% to 1.8 million in 2019.
However, Martin Nydegger, the director of Switzerland Tourism, expects a 50% drop in Chinese visitors to Switzerland in the first quarter of the year, compared to 2019, with the Bernese Oberland, central Switzerland and Zurich likely to be the most affected regions.
In January, Switzerland Tourism initially predicted a 30-50% reduction in the number of Chinese visitors to Switzerland. Tourism officials stressed that most visitors (70%) come during the summer months.
Chinese visitors are among the biggest spenders when holidaying in Switzerland: paying out on average CHF380 per person per day. In 2019 income from Chinese visitors was estimated to be CHF701.4 million.
More
More
Coronavirus expected to hit Swiss tourism industry
This content was published on
Officials say the coronavirus outbreak could lead to a 30-50% drop in the number of Chinese tourists to the Alpine country in the coming weeks.
Switzerland participates in ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting
This content was published on
This engagement was part of a four-day tour of Southeast Asia, aimed at advancing the Swiss Federal Council's Southeast Asia Strategy.
Majority of shareholders approve sustainability reports of major Swiss companies
This content was published on
Shareholders have approved the sustainability reports of the largest Swiss companies by a large majority at their annual general meetings.
EU releases €1.5B frozen assets to Ukraine: Switzerland opts out
This content was published on
The EU announced the release of €1.5 billion (CHF1.44 billion) in aid to Ukraine. Switzerland will not follow the EU's approach.
Five people charged in connection with deadly Swiss rockslide
This content was published on
Five people have been charged with multiple negligent homicide in connection with the deadly Bondo rockslide that occurred seven years ago.
Swiss industries brace for impact of coronavirus outbreak
This content was published on
Various Swiss industries and the domestic tourism sector are preparing themselves for a downturn caused by the coronavirus epidemic.
Coronavirus expected to hit Swiss tourism industry
This content was published on
Officials say the coronavirus outbreak could lead to a 30-50% drop in the number of Chinese tourists to the Alpine country in the coming weeks.
This content was published on
After several difficult years, the Swiss hotel industry is recovering. There were 37.4 million overnight stays in 2017 – a 5.2% increase over 2016.
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.