A survey by the industry association Hotelleriesuisse shows that seven out of ten Swiss hotels expect a decline in demand from overseas in the summer season due to the war in Ukraine. Almost half of the hotels also expect a decline in guests from Europe.
According to the association, exchange rates shifted, the general economic situation deteriorated, and fewer guests traveled to Switzerland from Ukraine and Russia, countries affected by the war and sanctions. A negative factor is that many Americans and Asians do not want to travel to Europe because of the war in Ukraine.
At this background, it is striking that more than half of the Swiss hotels have increased their prices compared to the previous year. The proportion of establishments with price increases is similar across all tourism areas - whether cities or mountain villages - despite the varying development of demand. Consequently, even the hotels in the cities with demand slumps have mostly increased prices.
More than half of the hoteliers cite rising prices for energy and food as the reason for the price increases. Nevertheless: Overall, Swiss hotels expect bed occupancy rates to be higher than in 2021 and 2020.
More tourists, however, are expected from the important source markets, such as USA, France and Germany. However, according to the survey, the pre-pandemic level is unlikely to be reached.