Swiss hotel industry before the autumn holiday: “The airport is our enemy”

class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>

The Swiss hotel industry is experiencing a real influx of guests. The number of overnight stays so far this year is much higher than before the coronavirus outbreak in 2019. The industry is on a record track and the weather is good. But there is no feeling of euphoria, and there are reasons for this. Swiss guests are increasingly traveling abroad. Companies in the mountainous region are particularly affected.

A survey by Blick shows that this trend will continue in the autumn business world. “The airport is our rival in the Swiss Alps and we must fight it,” says Ernst “Aschi” Wyrsch (61), President of Hotelleriesuisse Graubeğen. Graubundan hotels received 7 percent fewer bookings for autumn holidays than the previous year. This decrease is due to Swiss guests. Accommodation providers are recording a slight increase in foreign guests.

Swiss guests’ wanderlust is evident all over Switzerland: hotels accommodated 5.6 percent fewer domestic guests in August.

High level of acceptance

But Wyrsch doesn’t let that dampen his spirits. “We also need to recognize that last year we had a very large number of people in the canton of Graubuster and a very high level of casualties.” The hotelier’s president also sees the advantages of the growing guest base: “The increase in foreign guests makes the companies’ business more interesting.”

Unlike Graubinden, the Valais hotel industry managed to increase the number of nightly stays this summer. “I expect things to be similar to last year in the fall. However, there are big differences between destinations. And many guests book at very short notice, depending on what the weather is like,” says Olivier Andenmatten (47), co-president of the Valais Hotel Association. In some cases, hotels can benefit from this short-term approach. More and more guests are spontaneously extending their stay at the property.

There are still enough rooms for short-term bookings in all cantons.

Bernese Oberland heading towards records

But the people of Valais are also noticing that the Swiss are increasingly flying abroad. Cable cars have also been suffering from this in recent months. The Bähnli Nation is not on the gondolas. Still, local guests remain important: “They make up 65 to 70 percent of our guests in the fall,” says Andenmatten.

Stefan Grossniklaus (51), President of Hotelleriesuisse Berner Oberland, is downright enthusiastic: “Conditions are what they are, we will increase by 5 to 10 percent again in the autumn. “We already reached record numbers in the summer and autumn of 2022.” Establishments in the Bernese Oberland account for almost 80 percent of hotel overnight stays in the entire canton. In the canton of Bern, the balance sheet is also polished by foreign countries. Especially guests from Asia, the Arab world and the USA tasted this flavor again. Destinations with a high concentration of Swiss guests need to leave some breathing room.

More expensive holidays, good prospects for the future

Guests will need to line their pockets even further for their holidays in Switzerland this year: an overnight stay in Graubeğen costs an average of 3.5 percent more than last year. Surcharges at Valais range from 2 to 5 percent, depending on the company and room category. Bernese Oberland holidays are also slightly more expensive. “Due to inflation, companies have additional costs in purchasing or electricity, and fortunately they can pass some of these on to guests,” says Grossniklaus.

Especially city tourism benefits greatly from the increase in foreign guests. Hotels in the canton of Zurich increased by 12 percent in July. The increase in business travel also contributed to this. Lucerne and Basel-Stadt also increased.

Autumn work will likely determine whether the Swiss hotel industry will actually perform better this year than in 2019. If it doesn’t work this year, there’s still a good chance the record will collapse in the medium term. In the hot summer months expected in the future, the mountainous region, where temperatures are more suitable, may distract local guests from the airline business.

Source :Blick