This is where the Swiss go on vacation

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Rainy and cool spring makes Swiss people want to travel. At tour operator Hotelplan Group, reservations are at the same level as in pre-corona 2019, and in some cases even higher.

“This is very gratifying. Even though it was a very bad year, we’ve already done more trips and more sales than in the whole of 2021,” says Hotelplan Group boss Laura Meyer, 42, in an interview with the AWP news agency.

At that time, the Migros subsidiary brought in sales of only 645 million francs. This was the lowest income since the financial crisis. In the years before the pandemic, Hotelplan had nearly twice as much turnover. In addition, Hotelplan Group suffered an operating loss (EBIT) of CHF 41 million in 2021.

“Now, this year, we’re getting closer to booking behavior in 2019. Will be booked again earlier. Long-distance and business trips are back, if not quite yet,” says Meyer. “We still feel the need to catch up. People want to go on vacation. They want to go farther, to the sea, to Asia. Of course, we’re happy about it.” Also, the rainy, cold spring stimulates the desire to travel to distant lands.

“People accept higher prices”

Hotelplan had already experienced a rapid recovery after the crash during the pandemic last year. The end of corona restrictions has sparked a booking boom and a wave of travel from the spring.

The group’s sales rose again to 1.4 billion Swiss francs. Operating profit EBITDA reached the highest level in fifteen years with 26 million Swiss francs. “We also optimized our cost base during the pandemic. And we had a wonderful summer and a wonderful autumn last year. All of which resulted in this operating profit,” Meyer says.

Swiss wanderlust won’t even slow down with inflation. “People book a lot, sometimes accepting higher prices,” Meyer says. People saved money during the pandemic and realized that they missed traveling so much. Therefore, they are also ready to pay current prices.

To be specific: Hotelplan Suisse customers will spend on average 5.2 percent more on a week-long package holiday around the Mediterranean in the coming months than a year ago. Compared to 2019, average spending is 6 percent higher.

Hotels are getting expensive

On the one hand, the reasons for high expenditures are inflation and rising flight prices. On the other hand, Meyer explains that customers can afford more, such as a higher hotel category, a room with a sea view, a business class flight, or a longer stay.

The biggest price drivers are flight prices. These will be driven not only by rising fuel costs, but also by supply and demand. Meyer says demand is high, but flight capacities are still not at 2019 levels.

Hotel prices have also increased, but there are still cheap offers, such as in Turkey or on the Tunisian island of Djerba. Türkiye and Djerba are among the most popular summer destinations, as are the Greek islands and Spain. “People want to go on a beach vacation,” Meyer says.

North America strong

“On long-haul routes, we have a similar mix of destinations as before the crisis.” North America is very strong. In Africa, destinations like South Africa or Tanzania are doing well. Meyer says Asia is also making a comeback, especially Thailand and Indonesia. “Australia is also back for next winter.”

After last year’s flight chaos, he doesn’t expect the situation to repeat itself. “You actually had time to prepare. In that respect, we are optimistic for this year,” Meyer says.

“Zurich Airport is in trouble”

“However, we are a little concerned that Zurich Airport is experiencing operational difficulties. But Zurich Airport can’t do much about it,” says Meyer. This is because of the security check, where the cantonal police has very few personnel. This leads to long queues.

In general, Meyer says it is surprising that individuals’ travel behavior after the Corona collapse is quite similar to what it was before the pandemic. Destination mix or booking deadlines are similar to those before the crisis.

On business trips, things are different. “There is less travel there. And when you leave, you stay longer and combine several dates. Instead of flying once to New York, once to Boston and once to Los Angeles, you fly to the US once and do a round trip,” Meyer says. In addition, internal business trips are greatly reduced.

Source :Blick