Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss hotel industry can expect its worst year since 1982, according to a report prepared by consultants BAKBasel, and released 19 May by the Swiss Secretariat for the Economy, Seco. Overnight stays for the 2009 summer season (May to October) are expected to drop 7.2 percent compared to last summer. And things won’t be back to normal until 2011, the report says.
Still, some 18.8 million overnight stays are expected during the summer and a total of 34m stays for the entire year (November 2008-October 2009).
The main contributors to the expected decline are the current economic and financial turmoil and the Swiss franc’s strength against the euro and sterling. Foreign visits are likely to be down by 9.5 percent, but local tourism will also be 3.9 percent lower. BAKBasel estimates that for the year 2010-2011 tourism will increase by around 1.3 percent.