Swiss hotel industry on record course even after seven months

Specifically, the number of overnight stays rose by 0.3 percent to 4.8 million in July, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The increase is thanks to foreign guests: they are responsible for the increase in overnight stays by 3.1 percent to 2.6 million.

The Swiss, on the other hand, increasingly moved abroad again. The number of overnight stays by domestic guests in July was 2.2 million, 2.8 percent lower than in July 2023.

More overnight stays than ever before
This means that the positive momentum in the Swiss hotel industry weakened significantly in July. In the first half of the year, there was still an increase of 2.4 percent compared to the same period last year.

Nevertheless, the hotel industry recorded 24.8 million overnight stays from January to July, 2 percent more than in the same period last year – more than ever before in the first seven months of a year.

12.7 million overnight stays were by foreign guests, which corresponds to an increase of 4.7 percent. The number of overnight stays by guests from Switzerland, however, fell by 0.6 percent to 12.2 million.

Fewer foreign guests than in the last pre-Corona year
This confirms once again the trend that has been evident since the end of the Corona pandemic: more foreign guests are coming to Switzerland again. Conversely, Swiss people are increasingly moving abroad again.

Nevertheless, fewer foreign guests are still visiting Switzerland than in the last pre-Corona year of 2019. Significantly fewer tourists are still coming from China in particular. But fewer guests are also finding their way to our country from India and some European countries than before Corona – including from Germany, which is still the most important market.

US guests at record levels
Contrary to the positive trend, the number of guests from the USA has not broken. This year, more US guests have come than ever before. However, they cannot fully compensate for the declines in other countries of origin compared to 2019. From January to July, 1.2 percent fewer guests came from abroad than in the previous year before Corona.

The fact that the industry continues to operate at record levels is due not least to the fact that the Swiss continue to spend significantly more holidays in Switzerland than before the pandemic. Despite a downward trend, Swiss guests have still accounted for a good 15 percent more overnight stays this year than in 2019.

Record number of overnight stays still possible
The Swiss hotel industry still has last year’s overnight stay record firmly in its sights. In 2023, the 40 million mark was exceeded for the first time with 41.8 million overnight stays.

Whether the record actually falls depends on whether the historically strong autumn tourism of the previous year is exceeded. The start of the winter season and the Christmas business, which are important for the industry, will also be decisive. (keystone-sda)