Tourism can look forward to another record summer
Published: Tuesday, May 28th 2024, 11:30
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Swiss tourism is looking forward to another record summer. According to the KOF Swiss Economic Institute, the Swiss tourism industry can expect relatively stable domestic demand and growing demand from long-distance markets. Tourists from China in particular will return.
The KOF expects overnight stays to grow by 0.4 percent in summer 2024, according to a press release issued on Tuesday. This is around 100,000 more than in the previous year, when Swiss tourism had already experienced a record summer. For summer 2025, the ETH Zurich research center even expects growth of 2 percent.
While the global economy is gradually recovering from its economic weakness in the current year, the development of the Swiss franc remains a decisive factor for tourism in Switzerland, according to the communiqué. Accordingly, the recent weakening of the Swiss franc should prove to be an advantage for local tourism.
Decline for Europe and Switzerland
The KOF now only expects a decline of 1.5% in visitors from Switzerland. Previously, it had forecast a decline of 4 percent. As soon as long-distance travel by the Swiss population stabilizes at a normal level, the number of overnight stays should increase in line with population growth and rise again by 2025, the report continues.
According to the research institute, the number of guests from Europe is also likely to fall in the coming summer, as the long-term negative trend in European tourism from before the pandemic is continuing. The KOF forecast therefore remains unchanged at -4%. For summer 2025, the research institute expects the level of overnight stays to remain roughly the same.
Growth in long-distance markets
As the KOF nevertheless anticipates an increase in overnight stays in the summer, experts believe that long-distance travelers will more than compensate for the deficit of guests from Europe and Switzerland. Travelers from the USA and China in particular are driving growth, they say. The number of overnight stays by American guests will remain at a high level, albeit with slight growth, according to the KOF. An increase of 1 percent is expected for North America as a whole.
The research center expects overnight stays by Chinese tourists to remain well below pre-pandemic levels. However, their gradual return should make a clear contribution to the growth in overnight stays. Compared to the previous year, the KOF expects an increase of 47 percent.
In addition, international events such as the UEFA European Championship in Germany and the Olympic Games in France are likely to have a positive impact on interest in travel to Switzerland, the report continues.
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