For tourism in Switzerland, 2023 was a record year.
Thanks in particular to the return of American and Asian vacationers, the number of hotel nights last year exceeded its pre-Covid-19 pandemic level.
In 2023, the number of hotel nights stood at 41.8 million, "
a level never before reached
", indicated the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Thursday February 22 in a press release.
The previous record dated from 2019, with 39.6 million overnight stays.
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“
Despite an unstable international situation and the strength of the Swiss franc
”, foreign demand increased by 21.8% compared to 2022, with 20.9 million overnight stays recorded in 2023, even if this foreign demand remains below the level of 2019 with the still gradual return of Chinese tourists, specified the OFS.
Highest level in forty years
Hotel nights, on the other hand, reached a record among tourists from the American continent, in particular from the United States, who alone generated more than 3 million nights, the highest level “
since 1985
”, underlined the 'office.
Asian tourists also generated 4.1 million overnight stays, driven in particular by vacationers from India and South Korea.
This record in 2023 can also be explained by local demand, down slightly but still high.
Since travel restrictions during the pandemic, many Swiss vacationers have taken to staying in their country to discover new regions.
Despite a slight decrease of 1.1% compared to 2022, these Swiss vacationers still generated 20.8 million overnight stays in 2023, a figure very close to that of foreign customers.
Go off the beaten track
Martin Nydegger, general director of the Suisse Tourisme organization, welcomed this success of Swiss tourism in 2023 which contributes “
in a decisive manner to the economic strengthening and guaranteeing the prosperity of the country
”.
From now on, the objective is no longer only to generate attendance records, but also to direct tourist flows “
off the beaten track
” in order to “
visit the entire Swiss territory, throughout the year
”, a he declared in a press release.
Switzerland Tourism, mandated by the Confederation to promote tourism in the Alpine country, expects an increase of 3.3% in overnight stays by European tourists in 2024 and 15% in those of tourists from distant countries.
However, he expects a “
probable
” decline of 2.5% in overnight stays generated by local customers.