Despite months of unpleasant weather conditions, the Director of Switzerland’s tourism is optimistic. Jürg Schmid expects a turnaround this summer and hope for more overnight stays.
He expects a gentle turnaround between 0-2 per cent compared to the previous summer. The research institute, BAK Basel, predicts an increase of 0.7 per cent very soon.
Schmid relies on the first tentative signs of tour operators that the number of visitors to Germany and the UK could rise slowly. Thanks to the minimum euro exchange rate and the inflation in Germany, there has been a convergence in prices.
In addition, in recent years, the Swiss prices have fallen by 10 per cent for package deals and inclusive services. Switzerland will, nonetheless, remain an expensive country that has been marked as a bargain culture with “quality of experience” in Germany according to Schmid.
Switzerland tourism plan for 2014 and 2015, a two-year campaign has the slogan “Welcome Germany”, as was announced by the association director. “We will win back the German market.”
But the slump in visitor numbers in Germany and other European countries due to the financial crisis will see the Swiss Franc and tourism fully recover in no less than five years’.
Currently the bad weather has also had a negative effect on the tourism business. In Ticino, the main season has suffered badly. The winter brought a lot of snow to Switzerland, but little sun. There was also bad weather on Ascension Day and Whitsun.
„However, I believe that we have saved the overnight stays in spring,” Schmid said. “Now the rain is over, a dream summer is waiting for us,” he added