GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Swiss tourism had a turn-around year in 2013, with a 2.5 percent increase in the number of overnight stays over 2012. The upswing in tourism last year didn’t quite rival 2010, before the impact of the global economic crisis began to be felt, but it was close. Foreigners accounted for close to 20 million overnight stays, with a 3.5 percent increase in their numbers, says the federal Statistical Office.

Asian tourists accounted for the strongest increase, 9.9 percent overall, but there were marked differences in markets, with visitors from Japan and India down, while the number of Chinese tourists rose by 20.3 percent to 151,000.

British tourists rose by 6.2 percent to 96,000 visitors, the largest percentage increase among Europeans.

The increase touched all areas in the country with the exception of canton Valais and eastern Switzerland.