GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The latest forecast for tourism in Switzerland is more upbeat than it has been for months, with the winter season promising a 2.9 percent increase in the number of overnight stays and the summer of 2014 numbers rising by 2.3 percent . The increase in the short term from foreign tourism is expected to rise by 4.9 percent and by 2015 Switzerland should be back on track for steady long-term growth.
The numbers were provided by Seco, the federal department for the economy, based on research by Bak Basel.
Swiss tourism began to pick up during the winter of 2012-13 and over the summer it saw strong growth: a 3.1 percent increase for the period that closes at the end of October, according to the latest estimates.
Developing economies have remained healthy and the European economies are recovering; both contributed to the improvement, but the weather was also kind to Switzerland, with mostly fine weather this summer.