Number of overnight stays down in February
Due to the absence of foreign tourists, the number of overnight stays in Switzerland fell by 1.3 percent in February. According to the industry association Hotelleriesuisse, for the first time there were more Swiss than foreign guests in Swiss hotels than in the high season.
The number of overnight stays fell the most in the Bernese Oberland (-7.4%), followed by Basel (-6.8%), Valais (-4.7%), Fribourg Region (-3.8%) and Graubünden (-2.7%). The largest increase was recorded in the Aargau region (+11.5%). The Lake Geneva region (+7.7%) and the Zurich region (+3.4%) also recorded growth.
The decline in Chinese guests in the winter season since December is striking, according to Hotelleriesuisse. The association cites the cooling Chinese economy, new passport regulations for issuing visas and the fear of terrorist attacks as possible reasons. The number of overnight stays by European guests fell by 7.2 percent in February. The number of guests from the Netherlands (-23.1%), Luxembourg (-19.0%), Belgium (-13.0%) and Germany (-9.4%) fell at an above-average rate. In contrast, the Italian (+1.2%) and British (+ 1.7%) figures developed positively. (ah)
