Swiss tourism benefits from big-spending Americans
Published: Thursday, Jul 11th 2024, 11:20
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American tourists are flocking to Switzerland like never before - and not just because of Taylor Swift. They are considered to be big spenders and could replace Germans as the largest group of guests in the summer months. Tourism experts see further growth potential, particularly in the low season and in winter.
Significantly more Americans came to Switzerland in 2023 and 2024 than before the pandemic. This pleases tourism professionals because other markets are causing concern: Germany, the most important foreign market, is still lagging behind pre-coronavirus levels. There is an even bigger gap in Japan and especially China.
"Guests from the USA are an important reason for our optimism in Swiss tourism for the summer," says Martin Nydegger, Head of Swiss Tourism, in an interview with the news agency AWP.
Economists from the research institute BAK Economics now even expect the USA to replace Germany as the most important market of origin for overnight stays this summer season (May to October).
Eldorado for Americans
But why is Switzerland so popular with Americans? Tourism expert Jürg Stettler from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts sees a simple reason for this: "One of the reasons is the natural beauty of the country with its Alps and lakes."
Historic cities, culture and tradition as well as the culinary diversity also attract Americans. In addition, flight connections from the USA are very good again after the pandemic.
The high density of experiences and the good train network in Switzerland are further plus points. US guests love traveling by train: "Switzerland with its panoramic trains is of course an Eldorado for Americans," says Stettler.
High US inflation
There are also tangible economic reasons. "The economy in the USA is doing well, the stock market is booming," says Claudio Zemp, Head of North America at Switzerland Tourism.
In addition, inflation in the USA is high compared to Switzerland. And with the sharp rise in hotel prices, vacations in their own country have also become significantly more expensive for US citizens.
According to Zemp, the labor shortage has driven up wages and therefore prices in the US hotel industry - without services having improved. Switzerland is doing better in this respect.
Here comes the upper class
"And when we talk about guests from the USA, we are talking about the upper class," Zemp continues. Only a small proportion can afford to travel to Europe. And they are currently doing very well.
So it's no wonder that Americans are considered to be big spenders. "American guests generally have a high purchasing power. They value comfort and upscale offers," says a spokesperson for Valais Tourism.
According to Switzerland Tourism, an American guest in Switzerland spends 280 francs per day. In comparison: Swiss guests spend 140 francs, Germans 130 francs.
Further growth potential
In 2023, 3.1 million of the total 20.9 million overnight stays by foreign guests were attributable to Americans. This was almost a quarter more than in the last pre-corona year 2019.
And the trend continues: from January to May this year, the figure is up another 11% on the previous year.
For the future, Zemp sees growth potential of 5 to 10 percent per year. Especially as the growth rates were already high before the pandemic and the current growth rates after the corona dip are following suit, apart from a certain catch-up effect.
Switzerland Tourism wants to make better use of the low season in particular. This is because Swiss hotels only operate at around half capacity throughout the year. Guests from the USA could help.
Ukraine war without influence
"We have seen for years that the summer is well booked and in some cases there are no hotels left," says Zemp. "So it's important to show Americans that it's also nice in the fall. Vacations are also cheaper then."
Zemp also sees potential in winter. Because skiing is expensive in the USA. "And someone who flies from the East Coast to Vail can just as easily fly to Geneva and ski in Crans-Montana." It's also a different experience: "Skiing vacations in Switzerland are much more rustic than in the big resorts in the USA."
However, tourism expert Stettler also warns that external factors could deter US tourists from traveling to Switzerland again: "Economic crises or wars can have a major impact". The financial crisis has shown this.
Nevertheless, the war in Ukraine has not deterred US tourists from traveling to Europe as feared. Americans are better at assessing geopolitical conflicts than they used to be, says Zemp.
©Keystone/SDA
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