Ticino hoteliers concerned about growing supply on platforms
Published: Friday, Nov 10th 2023, 13:00
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The Ticino hotel industry, already suffering from the closure of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, is also struggling with online platforms. Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia are booming and making life difficult for hoteliers.
In the last six months, the number of houses, apartments and rooms used by tourists registered with the cantonal authorities has risen by more than a quarter from 3271 to 4140, with a total of just over 12,000 beds.
"The competition with this market segment can only worry us," said Sonja Frey, President of the local section of Hotelleriesuisse, in the "Corriere del Ticino" (CdT) on Friday. She conceded that it is a "different clientele that is not strictly oriented towards the hotel industry". She also complained of a certain unequal treatment to the detriment of industry professionals, who have to comply with "a very long list of rules", particularly with regard to hygiene and labor law.
As beds in this segment now accounted for a quarter of the total tourist supply, this also had an impact on property prices. She also pointed out that residents are finding it increasingly difficult to find affordable housing.
Since the beginning of the year, overnight stays in hotels in the southern canton have fallen by 4 percent. However, this has less to do with the upturn in online platforms than with a base effect. "The coronavirus years up to and including 2022 were exceptional," said Frey. She pointed out that overnight stays in Ticino rose by 7.4 percent compared to the pre-crisis year of 2019.
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