The Swiss hotel industry recorded 18.5 million overnight stays during the winter tourist season (November 2024 to April 2025, according to provisional figures from the country’s Federal Statistical Office.
Compared to the same period last year, the volume increased by 2.8% (+497,000 overnight stays). With a total of 9.2 million overnight stays, foreign demand increased by 5.5% (+478,000), reaching its best level since the winter season of 2007/2008. Domestic demand, at 9.3 million overnight stays, increased very slightly (+0.2% / +20,000), exceeding, however, the historical record of last year.
Moreover, according to provisional estimates by the Federal Statistical Office, in 2024, tourist spending in Switzerland and abroad continued to increase. However, spending by Swiss residents traveling abroad showed a more significant increase (7.8%) than the income generated by foreign visitors to Switzerland (2.2%).
Meanwhile, according to the latest Bisnode survey, around 4,813 companies closed their doors in 2024 in Switzerland, recording an increase of 2% year-on-year, with most of them recorded in the construction and catering sectors, in particular in the semi-cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden (+67%) and Outerrhoden (+38%), as well as in Neuch?tel (+36%), Nidwalden (+30%) and Schaffhausen (+29%). Fribourg recorded a modest increase (+5%), while Vaud reported a decrease (-2%).
Nevertheless, Switzerland took first place in the global competitiveness ranking this year, surpassing Singapore and Hong Kong, according to the study conducted by the Lausanne-based IMD Institute. It is followed by Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden, Qatar and the Netherlands. As for Switzerland’s neighboring countries, Germany is ranked 19th, France and Italy are ranked 22nd and 43rd respectively, while Austria is ranked 26th.
The information comes from the Office for Economic and Commercial Affairs in Bern.
