The upswing in Swiss tourism, according to a study by the economic research of the ETH Zurich (KOF), stop also in the winter season. Despite the economic headwind, the overnight stays are expected to rise further.
Specifically, the KOF is forecasting an increase in the number of overnight stays in the winter season, from 2.1 per cent, after a growth of 3.2 percent in the summer season. A strong support is likely to be, according to the KOF Director Jan-Egbert Sturm furthermore, the domestic tourism.
Economic headwinds
The global economic slowdown and the strengthening of the Swiss franc will play a dampening role. “The Situation is, however, not with the Frank shock to the year 2015 comparable to that,” said storm on Tuesday at the media conference in Zurich. The appreciation was made in the summer, slower, and accordingly, the effect was significantly weaker noticeably.
With a view on the number of overnight stays is for the years 2020 and 2021, the KOF expects a rise of 1.8 and 2.2 percent. In addition to the domestic demand, in particular, tourists from North America are likely to ensure further recovery. In contrast, the dynamics in long-distance markets will cool down in comparison to the strong development lately.
cities benefit more
The big profiteers of the boom in the tourism sector in recent years, according to a special study by the KOF the cities. The number of overnight Stays increased between 2006 and 2018 by a whopping 35 percent, while the Alpine areas due to the strong Swiss franc, and foreign competition had over this period of time hardly any growth.
“This Trend isn’t Switzerland-specific, but also in other countries such as in Austria,” the KOF-Director. The reasons for the shift of the tourism in the direction of the cities, a change in the guest structure, as well as the increasingly important business tourism.
In the longer term a lower market share
in Total, have developed the tourism in Switzerland in the Last two years. “We have been able to keep up with the market growth in Europe again step,” said storm. It should not be forgotten that the Swiss tourism sector have lost in the longer term, in the past few years, an international comparison of market shares. (anf/sda)
Created: 29.10.2019, 13:28 PM
