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Swiss tourism statistics 2021

Description

This publication describes the results of the FSO's Swiss tourism statistics for 2021. The first part focuses on tourist accommodation that is partly made up of the hotel sector statistics and partly of the supplementary accommodation statistics. The second section of this publication concerns the survey on the travel behaviour of the Swiss population in 2021. The tourism satellite account, in the third section, gives information on the values measuring the economic influence of tourism in Switzerland. The fourth section of the publication presents a series of economic indicators making it possible to place the findings from the tourism statistics in a wider context.

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Switzerland Tourism Revenues

Tourism revenues in switzerland decreased to 4368.82 chf million in the fourth quarter of 2023 from 5543.99 chf million in the third quarter of 2023. tourism revenues in switzerland averaged 3025.76 chf million from 1983 until 2023, reaching an all time high of 5543.99 chf million in the third quarter of 2023 and a record low of 999.10 chf million in the fourth quarter of 1983. source: swiss national bank,   markets,   gdp,   labour,   prices,   money,   trade,   government,   business,   consumer,   housing,   taxes,   health,   climate.

What are you looking for in the Annual Report 2020 ?

• All contributions
• Main issues in tourism
• Test your knowledge
• Market topics
• Organisation
• Marketing strategy
• Financial statements
• Hotel overnight stays
• Digital marketing
• Segmentation
• Facts and figures
• figures for 2019
• Four-Wheel-Drive
• Main issues
• Partnership
• Product development
• Grand Tour of Switzerland
• Recovery campaign

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In focus 2020

Global recovery campaign

Switzerland Tourism responded to the worldwide travel restrictions with empathy, striking marketing activities and attractive offers.

Cities campaign stepped up

Cities, which were disproportionately affected, were supported by means of attractively priced offers directed at specific target groups.

New umbrella campaign

Switzerland Tourism rolled out the new umbrella campaign, “I need Switzerland.” in summer 2020.

In contact thanks to social media

Switzerland remained in people’s thoughts despite the lockdown – thanks to established social media accounts, a new TikTok presence and pin extensions.

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Switzerland Tourism Revenue Growth

• Switzerland Tourism Revenue grew 20.9 % YoY in Dec 2022, compared with an increase of 13.2 % YoY in the previous year
• Switzerland Tourism Revenue Growth rate data is updated yearly, available from Dec 2002 to Dec 2022
• The data reached an all-time high of 20.9 % in Dec 2022 and a record low of -27.4 % in Dec 2020

View Switzerland's Tourism Revenue Growth from 2002 to 2022 in the chart:

What was Switzerland's Tourism Revenue Growth in 2022?

Switzerland Tourism Revenue grew 20.9 % YoY in Dec 2022, compared with an increase of 13.2 % YoY in the previous year See the table below for more data.

Tourism Revenue Growth by Country Comparison

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• Hospitality Industry

Tourism in Switzerland: A successful summer 2023 for the Industry

September 21, 2023 •

4 min reading

The latest figures released by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) have put even more spring in Swiss tourism’s step. Night stays in Switzerland for the months of June and July 2023 were recently published. And the news is good! Night stays (or hotel stays) were 8.6% higher in June 2023 versus June 2023. This confirms an earlier report indicating that in the first half of 2023, night stays increased 13.8% year on year.

Numbers recently published by the OFS show that night stays were up 4.5% in July 2023, compared with July 2022, driven by foreign demand (+14.9%). Domestic tourism was down ever so slightly (-0.8%), confirming the trend.

For SECO, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, the trend for Switzerland is even rosier regarding the return of international tourists. In the six months to June 30, 2023, Switzerland recorded a whopping y-o-y increase of 33% in overnight stays by foreign travelers.

For SECO, night stays are projected to surpass pre-Covid levels for the first time, on the back of a slight rebound in Asian demand in particular. Inflation, which has eroded buying power (particularly in Europe and the United States), combined with the strength of the Swiss franc have kept a lid on the enthusiasm, however. The UK is the lone bright spot for otherwise soft European demand. However, Chinese visitors to this Alpine country have not returned in numbers comparable to those seen before Covid.

Night stays are almost evenly split between foreign and domestic tourists. In the first half of 2023, Swiss residents accounted for 12.2 million overnight stays, with the remaining 11.9 million (+28.7% y-o-y) coming from foreigners. In all, tourism accounts for roughly 5% of Swiss GDP.

Swiss Tourists Habits: A view from the field

“While the Swiss are travelling abroad again, even more often than in pre-Corona times, foreign guests are also travelling to the Engadin Valley again,” said Jan Steiner, Brand Manager Engadin. His Alpine resort, which includes the posh ski town of Saint-Moritz, recorded a slight y-o-y increase of 0.3% in May and June. This bodes well for the summer months, but much depends on the weather, he said.

For Jay Gauer, the director of the Trois Couronnes, a five-star hotel located in Vevey, Switzerland, “this year, Swiss tourists are travelling to other countries.” Indeed, the Swiss tend to vacation abroad, particularly Italy and France—where hotels and restaurants are markedly less expensive—during the summer months. Throughout the pandemic, the Swiss, however, were compelled, by travel restrictions—and encouragement by Roger Federer himself—, to further explore their own country.

A word of caution about strong summer data

But pent-up wanderlust and swollen travel budgets have sent the Swiss packing their bags for foreign destinations once again. While the season appears to be a good one, “without data on hotel stays for July and August, it is too early to draw conclusions,” Gauer cautioned. Gauer spearheaded a post-Covid initiative, called Dolce Riviera , to promote lakeside leisure activities and local restaurants in Switzerland’s “Riviera” area, which has been a crowd-pleaser for both tourists and locals.

Sergei Aschwanden, Director of Tourism of the Alpes Vaudoises (covering the Villars-Gryon ski resort), also cited many of the same factors that have kept Summer 2023 numbers in check: the strong Swiss franc, iffy weather in July and the decision by many Swiss holidaymakers to travel abroad on vacation. Yet, he said: “hoteliers are quite satisfied”. Even though initial numbers in his resort pointed to a 5% slowdown in night stays versus the summer of 2022, last year “was an exceptional season, with very sunny weather.” He mentioned a different factor that has the resort smiling: an increase in visitors in early fall. Indeed, summer is powering well into late September because of climate change and a new phenomenon that has taken Swiss ski resorts by storm: the Magic Pass. With more and more tourists around the world booking during ‘shoulder season’ to escape the heat, crowds and high prices of summer, some have questioned whatever happened to the off-season ? The popularity of the four-season lift pass has encouraged more and more visitors to take the chairlifts up to Alpine summits and descend the resort’s trails on foot or mountain bike.

Chinese Tourism in Switzerland: Where have all the tourists gone?

Where there were 133,769 Chinese who visited Switzerland in July 2019, only 46,167 visited in July 2023 (-97%). The tourism office in Lucerne, which has been a popular destination for the Chinese, has spoken, perhaps somewhat euphemistically, of a “transition year” in 2023. Yet, it is hard to imagine Chinese tourism returning to pre-Covid levels anytime soon.

“To me it’s not surprising to see Swiss tourism performing well, said Yong Chen, professor of economics at EHL Hospitality Business School, before cautioning “China is starting to come back, but I’m not that optimistic about how many tourists will come back and when.”

“The Chinese economy is not doing well”, Prof. Chen stated matter-of-factly. Despite the re-opening of direct flights between Geneva and Beijing, airfares, according to prof. Chen, have doubled or tripled and flights are relatively empty. He cited a recent flight in August where the plane was two-thirds empty. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a hub-to-hub plane so empty.” Dr. Chen doesn’t expect a complete recovery of Chinese tourism in Switzerland anytime soon as the Chinese economy struggles, discretionary consumer spending stalls and the geopolitical situation grows increasingly hostile.

“Given the tone of the present decade, tourism cannot thrive or even survive in an environment where there is so much tension.” Indeed, Chinese tourists have been few and far between in Switzerland since Covid. During the first four months of 2023, the number of Chinese visitors to Switzerland was down 87% and night stays dropped 68% compared to the same period in 2019 (a record-breaking year by almost all accounts). Administrative hurdles in China, including long waits for passports and Schengen visas, are exacerbating matters.

While it appears that Swiss tourism has enjoyed a strong summer, it remains to be seen how the impact of plummeting Chinese demand, along with other headwinds, will play out in the long run.

Translator/editor for EHL’s Department of Education and Research

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• About Switzerland

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Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in Alpine regions. It employs around 4% of Switzerland's entire workforce. Half of the tourists staying in Swiss hotels are from abroad, mostly from Germany.

With lakes, forests, mountains and clean air, Switzerland has much to offer visitors all year round. Firmly rooted in Swiss society, tourism is a key economic driver in the mountain regions, where 25 million tourists on average rack up 55 million overnight stays per year. In 2021, tourism generated roughly 3% of GDP, or almost CHF 17 billion in total.

The tourism industry provides over 170,000 full-time equivalent jobs, although many of these are part-time or seasonal. Two thirds of tourists – half of whom are visiting from abroad – stay in hotels and spas. The majority of visitors are from Germany, followed by the US, the UK and China (before the pandemic). Having suffered a severe downturn, the tourism sector has largely returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Origins and development

At the crossroads of Europe, Switzerland has always attracted visitors. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Romantic literature and art engendered an unprecedented enthusiasm for the mountains. The Swiss mountains appealed strongly to British tourists, in particular, with English entrepreneur Thomas Cook organising the first package holidays to Switzerland.

During the post-war years Switzerland was one of the most sought-after tourist destinations thanks to the growing popularity of winter sports. This led the country to extend its road and rail networks substantially and build new homes and hotels.

The strength of the Swiss franc and the state of the global economy have a major influence on tourist demand. Switzerland Tourism is the national marketing and sales organisation tasked with attracting tourists to Switzerland.

The most visited destinations are the Zurich area, Bernese Oberland, (Lake) Lucerne and Geneva. Swiss tourists mainly visit the canton of Graubünden, Ticino, the Zurich area and Valais.

Switzerland Tourism

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Swiss tourism statistics for 2021

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Tourism in Switzerland

Development of the tourism sector in switzerland from 1995 to 2021.

Vacations between nature and slope

Revenues from tourism.

All data for Switzerland in detail

• Switzerland and the UK to work on a new trade deal: In April 2022, the UK announced to work on a new enhanced free trade agreement with Switzerland. The deal aims to boost the two-way trade between the UK and Switzerland and breaking down barriers and allowing UK firms to have access to the Swiss market. The aim of the deal is to increase cooperation in areas, including digital trade, innovative services, and green growth — delivering higher paying jobs across the country. Moreover, the deal also aims to support trade across important industries in the UK, including finance, legal services, consultancy and the tech sector. In 2021, the total trade between the UK and Switzerland amounted to $52.8 billion. Switzerland was the UK’s eight largest trading partner, accounting for 3% of total UK trade in 2021.
• Switzerland to host European space technology center: In May 2022, Switzerland signed an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) with an aim to host a center of excellence for developing space technology. The European Space Deep-Tech Innovation (ESDI) center will be set up at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), a part of the leading Swiss technology establishment known as the ETH Domain. The MoU signed between the PSI and ESA aims to increase cooperation in areas, including material research, data management and processing, quantum technologies, and sustainable space ecosystems. Switzerland is a founding member of ESA and contributes approximately $189 million every year towards the organization’s programmes and activities.
• Switzerland ranked 36th out of 190 countries in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking in 2020: According to the World Bank, Ease of Doing Business Report (2020), the country ranks 13th in getting electricity, 18th in registering property and 20th in paying taxes. As a result of a favorable business climate, Switzerland receives a large amount of foreign investment. A diverse and talented workforce, and superior research and development in the country further added to the country’s profile. However, the country still has areas to improve in terms of enforcing contracts and protecting minority investors.
• Switzerland and Indonesia to increase cooperation: In March 2022, the Swiss-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (SwissCham Indonesia) and the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with an aim to boost trade and investments between Switzerland and Indonesia. The MoU aims to increase cooperation between the two nations on issues, including investment policies, foreign direct investment, and innovation and knowledge transfer. In 2021, Switzerland was Indonesia’s 10th largest foreign investor with 281 projects amounting to $599.8 million. Investment projects were mainly across beverage, chemical and pharmaceutical companies.
• The country has a high level of human development: Switzerland has performed well on various human development indicators. According to UNDP, Human Development Report (2020), Switzerland ranked second out of 189 countries as compared to the seventh rank of Sweden, eighth rank of the Netherlands, and 13th rank of the UK. The country maintains good healthcare infrastructure for its population and has high level of life expectancy. According to GlobalData, life expectancy in the country stood at 83 years and literacy rate stood at 99% in 2021.
• Switzerland performed well on various governance indicators: Switzerland’s governance indicators are good, as the country is one of the leaders on the World Bank’s voice and accountability parameter in 2020 with a percentile rank of 98.6. This parameter measures the extent to which citizens of a particular country are able to participate in selecting their government and enjoy freedom of expression, freedom of association and availability of free media. Switzerland has preserved its tradition of direct democracy, where citizens are involved in framing of important legislation. In addition, the country ranked in excess of the 90 percentile on all other parameters of governance, such as political stability and absence of violence, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, implementation of the rule of law and control of corruption in 2020.      

Key fundamentals

Sectoral outlook

• Tourism industry expected to witness a moderate recovery in 2022: Tourism is one of the main industries in Switzerland. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the tourism industry contributed 10.3% towards GDP in 2019, 5.3% in 2020, and 6.1% in 2021. The declining contribution of the sector towards GDP was mainly due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, which took place in 2020. In addition, the government had imposed domestic lockdowns and international travel ban. According to the Federal Statistics Office of Switzerland, the Swiss hotel sector registered 14.6 million overnight stays during the winter tourist season (November 2021 to April 2022), an increase of 54%, compared to the same period of the previous year. However, as Switzerland has removed all entry restrictions requirement to enter the country, GlobalData forecasts around 10.8 million international arrivals for the country in 2022, compared to 4.3 million international arrivals in 2021.
• Manufacturing sector expected to perform strong in 2022: In Q1 2022, the manufacturing sector played an important role in helping speedy economic recovery for the country. According to the Federal Statistics Office of Switzerland, the industrial turnover witnessed an overall rise of 11.1% in Q1 2022, compared to the same quarter of previous year. Moreover, the overall industrial production increased by 7.9% in Q1 2022, compared to the same quarter of 2021. Export orders, along with strong domestic demand for consumer goods, showed signs of improvement in early months of 2022.
• Support for renewable sector in Switzerland: As per Switzerland’s Energy Strategy 2050, the government aims to promote renewable energy, ban new nuclear power plants and lower energy consumption through 2035 and 2050. Under the strategy, the government wants to limit the annual per capita energy consumption by 43% and reduce electricity consumption by 13% through 2035. In order to ensure that enough renewable energy in supplied during winter months, the government aims to finance large storage power plants with a 'winter surcharge' of not more than 0.2 Swiss cents per kilowatt-hour on electricity consumption. Moreover, as the government plans to increase production from renewable and phase out nuclear energy, it aims to target an additional two terawatts of greener electricity output by 2040.  

GlobalData Country Risk Index (GCRI) – Q2 2022

Switzerland ranked 1st out of 152 nations in the GCRI Q2 2022. The country’s score is in the very low risk nations band (below 30). Switzerland’s overall risk score is lower than the Western Europe and world average. Switzerland’s stable political situation and prudent macroeconomic policies have attracted investors from all over the world. The flexible labor market and favorable business environment further make doing business easier for investors.

GCRI Methodology

GlobalData’s unique Country Risk Model determines the existing and future level of country risk by assessing various qualitative and quantitative factors. The index is designed to help firms formulate their global business strategies based on historical developments in an economy.

The Country Risk Index incorporates the latest available macroeconomics, political, social, technological, environmental, and legal data from a range of recognized national and international statistical sources and incorporates proprietary data from GlobalData. West European nations in this publication include Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Austria, Norway, Ireland, the UK, Switzerland, Luxembourg, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Portugal.

About the report

GlobalData Macroeconomic Outlook report is designed to provide detailed macro-economic analysis which will help clients in their business planning, investment and strategic decisions, and analysis. It also provides a quick view of the current situation and the risk score of the country in comparison to region and world based on the proprietary risk framework. The report also highlights key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in each of the pillars of PESTLE, economic growth prospects, and key events which can impact the country’s future outlook.

More details: Macroeconomic Outlook Report: Switzerland

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