SWISS TOURISM ON A GROWTH COURSE AGAIN

According to the first estimates of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the foreign tourists spent 15.6 billion Swiss Francs in the year 2013 in Switzerland. This is 550 million (+3.6%) more than a year before. Around two thirds of the earnings come from the tourism with hotel overnight stays.

The expenses of the Swiss travelers abroad also increased (+4.4%) and reached a new peak level with 14.9 billion Swiss Francs. Due to both of these developments, the balance of the tourism records went back slightly as compared to the year 2012 (-74 million Swiss Francs).

Touristic Earnings Rise Again

Around two thirds of the earnings from people living abroad traveling through Switzerland come from the tourism with overnight stays. After the expenses of these travelers slightly went back in the years 2011 and 2012, they increased in the year 2013 by 225 million Swiss Francs (+2.2%) and reached a total of 10.6 billion Swiss Francs.
This tipping point can be traced back to a growth in overnight stays in the hotel industry and non-hotel industry such at it is registered in the BFS. The average expenses per overnight stay remain unchanged so that the earnings from both of these areas increased by 0.8 percent.

The earnings from education and hospital stays continued to increase in 2013 (+170 million Swiss Francs; +5.5%), mainly due to a large number of foreign college students as well as higher earnings from hospital stays.
The prices became a bit more attractive for the persons not living in Switzerland which lead to an increase of the earnings in 2013 from the day- and transit traffic. The increase of the number of foreign border crossers as well as persons staying for a short-term reflected in the increase of their consumer spendings by 5.0 percent to 2.3 billion Swiss Francs.

Spending in Foreign Countries Continue to Increase

Although the purchases abroad lost some of their appeal due to the minor devaluation of the Swiss Francs and an inflation incline favorable to Switzerland, they remain extremely attractive.
The expenses of the Swiss tourists abroad recorded a new growth in 2013 (+4.4%). First and foremost, this development can be traced back to the expenses from tourism with overnight stays which increased by 5.7 percent to 11.1 billion Swiss Francs. For the day- and transit traffic, the expenses stagnated (+0.6%), after they recorded a significant increase in 2011 and 2012.