More tourists came to Switzerland last year than the year before, but the trend’s continuation is threatened by the strength of Swiss franc. This is the forecast of Switzerland Tourism here at ITB Berlin.
The Federal Council will pour Sfr24 million into both tourism and the export industry generally this year. Both sectors are threatened by the strengthening of the national currency. Ramped up tourism campaigns abroad are also planned.
Switzerland Tourism counted 36.2 million overnights last year ‑ an increase of 1.7% over 2009’s level.
The majority of those hotel guests were Swiss citizens, but the tourism sector can thank visitors from China, too. The number of Chinese tourists was up by almost 49%. Switzerland was also a popular destination for tourists from India and the Gulf countries.
The strongest growth was felt in the canton of Zurich, which saw an 8% jump in the number of visitors. Ticino, on the other hand, saw a 4% drop in tourists.
Unsurprisingly, the unfavourable euro-franc exchange rate led to a 2% decline in the number of travellers from the eurozone.
Switzerland Tourism said it managed to avoid a mess in 2010, but warned of a probable 2-3% decrease in overnight volume this year.
