Judging by recent arrival and overnight statistics, American travelers are crazy about Switzerland. The number of nights Americans spent in Swiss hotels in the summer season of 2018 – from May through September – shows a growth of 11,3% compared to the same time frame in 2017, based on data from the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics. Since 2010, Switzerland has reported an increase in overnights from the U.S. every year, for a total of almost 50%.
“A good summer was to be expected, based on reports we received from tour operators, travel agents and other industry partners”, says Alex Herrmann, Director North America of Switzerland Tourism. “But the actual growth rate of over 10% beats our expectations.” With this trend, Switzerland will most likely celebrate the best year in at least 25 years with regards to U.S. travel to Switzerland.
What’s especially positive is that the U.S. growth is mostly in the mountain areas, which were suffering the most from the decrease in European visitors a few years ago. Also, the average U.S. travelers spend per day during their time in Switzerland has increased by 30% in the last five years, based on Switzerland Tourism market research.
In 2019, Switzerland Tourism will stay on its “Back to Nature” path – with a focus on hiking. Thanks to over 40,000 miles of well waymarked trails, virtually every corner of Switzerland is waiting to be discovered on foot.