City tourism suffers from the heat - mountain areas benefit
Switzerland Tourism (ST) has asked the Swiss tourism industry for an initial assessment of the summer season. As expected, hiking is booming, and summer vacations in Switzerland are particularly popular among young people and locals. However, the recurring heat waves also posed challenges for some destinations.
Numerous tourism providers and service providers from a wide range of sectors - accommodation, mountain railroads, regions, destinations, cultural and leisure providers, etc. - took part in a non-representative survey conducted by ST. The respondents generally expect strong figures, which in some places could even exceed the exceptional summer of 2018. In the accommodation sector, an average increase in overnight stays of 2.8% is reported. In terms of visitor numbers (arrivals, day trips), an increase of as much as 3.8% compared to the 2018 summer season. The months of May to October are considered the summer tourist season.
Bookings are always more dependent on the weather
Weather forecasts are fundamental to booking behavior, whether in hot or rainy weather. Whether for city or mountain destinations. "The weather beats the economy and currency when it comes to booking behavior," says Karl-Heinz Ammon, Director of Hotel Cresta in Flims. The survey confirms once again that tourism providers in Switzerland are also having to gear their products more and more towards spontaneous and last-minute bookings.
The Swiss love Swiss summer vacations
Tourism operators in the mountain region are particularly happy about hot spells in summer: these bring them many local guests who "flee" from the hot lowlands to the cool mountains to relax. "The summer retreat is in again," says Urs Pfenninger, Director of Tourism Adelboden-Lenk-Kandersteg (TALK) AG. And this is especially true for guests from the nearby urban centers.
In contrast, providers at lower altitudes and in cities often suffer from a considerable loss of visitors during the heat.
Hiking is excellent, summer sports are on trend
"Hiking is once again a big topic among young people, not least thanks to the popularity of Instagram," confirms Samuel Rosenast, Head of Communications Davos Klosters. However, there is also strong demand for other sports such as trail running, mountain biking and e-biking.
