Don’t want to go to overcrowded places?: Travel charity boss Andrea Beffa will give you new ideas

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It doesn’t always have to be Munich, Milan or Malle. Andrea Beffa (37), who took over as president of the Swiss Travel Association (SRV) at the beginning of this year, is also forced to admit this. A resident of Zurich knows very well what is happening in travel agencies and tour operators, what travel lovers demand. “The ones that are very well-known are often a little bit too crowded,” Beffa says in a meeting with Blick. “But popular destinations like Mallorca or Crete also offer plenty of opportunities to avoid the crowds, they are big enough for that.”

If you don’t want to go to overcrowded places, what are the surprising holiday destinations that Beffa offers you?

There are enough alternatives

When it comes to Italy, Bologna or Parma automatically comes to mind. “Beautiful cities that are easily accessible by car or train, have far fewer tourists than Milan, Venice or Rome, and are still truly authentic,” he enthuses. The North Sea town located on the railway line to Sylt in Germany is called Husum. The colorful old town and nearby Wadden Sea are a great alternative to more well-known destinations. He’s considering Sainte-Maxime in France: “A town opposite Saint-Tropez, easily accessible by train but reasonably priced.”

Of course, not everything has to be accessible by train, although it makes much more ecological sense than flying: In Spain, Beffa recommends the northwestern region of Galicia, which offers many unknown treasures as well as often harsh weather. According to Beffa, there are great alternatives in Greece, her favorite country, just south of Athens or on the beaches in the Peloponnese. The Northern Lights are no longer an insider tip. Beffa says you can easily observe them in northern Norway as well as in Finland or Alaska.

What about on the long road? Colombia is still an insider tip getting closer to Switzerland with new Edelweiss flights. In Asia, Korea is still a bit off the beaten track, at least from a Swiss perspective.

Will there be a decrease in demand?

After the weak Corona years, holiday demand boomed again in 2023. Swiss travel companies are reporting almost the same number of bookings as before the pandemic. Thanks to high prices, sales increase even more. But inflation is now hurting Switzerland. What does this mean for the upcoming year of travel?

“The desire to travel will continue in 2024. But we are already noticing that leisure travelers are paying more attention to money again,” says Beffa. This does not mean that travel should be avoided. Many people book early because there are good discounts. Beffa assumes that prices will “stabilize at a high level” in 2024.

In addition to booking early to save money (ideally with flights on weekdays rather than weekends), it’s also worth switching to less popular travel destinations as mentioned above.

So what else does he need to do to discover himself? The managing director of Bachenbülach ZH wants to “explore Italy better” with his family, that is, to discover unknown corners. Laos and South America are also on his personal “bucket list.”

Source :Blick