Rapidly growing market: Switzerland is very popular with Muslims
More and more guests from the Gulf States are visiting Switzerland. The country is at the top of a new travel ranking for Muslims. Switzerland Tourism is delighted.
As the SonntagsZeitung reports in its current issue, the number of overnight stays by guests from Gulf states has increased by 52 percent since 2013. By as much as 160 percent since 2007. According to the marketing organization Switzerland Tourism, this is a "rapidly growing market".
This increasing attractiveness is reflected in the "Global Muslim Travel Index" published by travel consultants Crescent Rating and Mastercard. The index lists non-Muslim vacation destinations for Muslims. Switzerland ranks eleventh out of 82 countries evaluated, ahead of Spain, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, among others. The USA even dropped out of the top 20 this year.
- Singapore
- Thailand
- United Kingdom
- Japan
- Taiwan
- Hong Kong
- South Africa
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- Switzerland
- Spain
- South Korea
- Philippines
- Cananda
- Russia
- China
- Ireland
- India
- New Zealand
Information from governments, the UN and travel portals such as Booking.com is analyzed for the ranking. Important criteria include the political climate and the service culture of the country.
It is no coincidence that Switzerland is doing well in this respect: popular destinations such as Interlaken, Geneva and Zurich are now consistently catering to Arab guests. For example, all of Geneva's five-star hotels have Arabic-speaking staff, says Lucie Gerber, spokesperson for Geneva Tourism, to the SonntagsZeitung. With over 250,000 overnight stays, Geneva is the most popular Swiss destination for tourists from the Arab world.
In Interlaken, hoteliers and innkeepers hold workshops on how to behave towards guests from the Gulf States - for example, how to greet men and women correctly. Hotels score points with dates as a welcome gift and prayer rugs in the room
It is no coincidence that the industry makes such an effort to attract these guests: they spend more money per day than any other group of tourists: An average of 420 francs. In comparison: a US tourist spends 380 francs, a German only 130 francs.
However, as Switzerland Tourism explains, there is also criticism from Arab guests: because they are used to shopping on Sundays and public holidays from morning until midnight, they often have little understanding for the local store opening hours.
