Press Releases

The gradual recovery of the tourism sector – also among European tourists – started in late summer. However, domestic travellers remain the mainstay of the tourism industry, while overseas markets are recovering only very slowly. KOF’s in-depth analysis reveals that the para-hotel sector on the whole has come through the coronavirus crisis better than the hotel sector. KOF expects its tourism forecasts to gradually return to normal over the coming winter and summer seasons.

Switzerland’s tourism sector is poised for a recovery this year following its pandemic-induced slump. Domestic tourists and travellers from other European countries at least will soon be returning, according to KOF’s forecast. In contrast, the prospects for any normalisation in the situation for long-distance and business travellers are bleak.

Although the situation in the tourism industry has improved since the summer, this sector is now facing severe headwinds again. KOF expects around one-third fewer European guests to come to Switzerland in the winter season than last year. Tourists from overseas markets will mainly stay away. The total number of overnight stays is likely to fall by 30 per cent this winter. The sector is expected to suffer a loss of more than 10 billion Swiss francs for the 2020 tourism year as a whole.

The absence of visitors from abroad will not be compensated for by domestic tourists in summer. Towns and cities must expect 50 per cent fewer overnight stays in the summer months, while the Alpine region is set to see a decrease of 20 to 30 per cent. During the entire 2020 tourism year the number of overnight stays is likely to fall by more than 30 per cent compared with last year. The hotel sector will lose more than CHF 900 million in value added.

Successful summer season for the Swiss tourism sector: the number of overnight stays increased by 2.6% year on year. Overnight stays by guests from Switzerland rose particularly sharply. Although the outlook for the coming winter season is being slightly dampened by the more sluggish economy, it remains positive. KOF expects the number of overnight stays to grow by 1.8% in both 2019 and 2020.

The unexpectedly sluggish economy and the slightly higher exchange rate dampened demand in the tourism industry last winter. However, the Alpine regions benefited from the plentiful snow and the favourable weather conditions, which is why they saw stronger growth in overnight stays than the towns and cities did. 

According to estimates by the KOF Swiss Economic Institute, the summer season went well. The outlook for the winter season is also positive. Swiss tourism has turned the corner. KOF expects overnight stays to increase by 2.7% in 2019 and by 2.4% in 2020. Swiss destinations have exercised price restraint over the past few years, which has improved their competitiveness. The strongest growth impulses continue to come from abroad, in particular from overseas markets.

Swiss tourism regions can look back on a successful winter season. According to the latest KOF forecasts, prospects for the summer season and the coming two years are good. Thanks to the positive economic trend in the Eurozone and the improved exchange rate, Switzerland is recording renewed growth in the number of European visitors. KOF’s current special analysis shows that the exchange rate trend has a different effect on the various regions.