Hiking in the Jura, cycling in Valais, dining lakeside in Ticino: Switzerland remains a top destination—especially for the Swiss themselves. Once seen primarily as a tourist destination for foreigners, the country has increasingly become a year-round choice for domestic travellers, according to data published the week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
Laura Meyer, chief executive of Hotelplan, a Swiss travel group, told SRF that the shift owes much to the pandemic. Border closures and travel restrictions forced many residents to holiday locally—only to rediscover the appeal of their own backyard. Many continue to want more.
The data certainly support this theory. Before the pandemic, domestic travellers accounted for 16–17 million overnight stays per year. Since then, the figure has surged to 20–21 million—nearly half of all overnight stays in the country. While some travellers have resumed international holidays, many now combine them with trips within Switzerland.
Ticino, long a favourite among German-speaking Swiss, has continued to benefit. But so too have regions across the Röstigraben, the cultural divide between French- and German-speaking Switzerland. People are crossing language border more than before. More French can be heard in German-speaking Switzerland and more German in the French-speaking cantons.
Climate, too, is emerging as another factor. With Mediterranean destinations becoming uncomfortably hot in summer, travellers are shifting to shoulder seasons in these places and choosing Switzerland’s cooler mountains in summer.
Foreign tourist numbers are also up in summer. Visitors from hot climates—such as the Gulf states and India—already rank among the most important inbound markets. While climate is not yet the main reason for travel, cooler and mountain air and lakes are becoming attractive secondary draws. At the same time Swiss summers are getting hot.
More on this:
FSO report (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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