Swiss tourism remains resilient despite the crisis in the Middle East
Keystone-SDA
Swiss tourism is set to demonstrate its resilience once again against the backdrop of the crisis in the Middle East.
Swiss hotels are expected to see only a slight decline in overnight stays in 2026, according to estimates from Switzerland Tourism.
The severe disruption to air traffic, following the Israeli-American war against Iran, has hampered the arrival of tourists from Asia and the Gulf states. South-East Asia (-19%), India (-18.4%) and the Gulf states (-15.9%) are therefore expected to see sharp declines, according to forecasts by Switzerland’s tourism promotion agency.
The main European markets – Germany (-0.3%), the United Kingdom (-3.6%), France (-0.5%) and the Benelux countries (-1.9%) – are also expected to see a decline.
These difficulties are, however, partly offset by the resilience of the domestic market, which accounts for more than half of demand, as well as by visitors from the Americas. Brazil (+7.4%), Canada (+4.7%), Japan (+2%) and the Swiss domestic market (+0.6%) are therefore expected to grow this year.
Tourism from the Gulf States has been affected to varying degrees depending on the region. Between January and August, Geneva saw a 12.6% fall in overnight stays by these visitors, whilst Graubünden recorded a 12.6% increase in overnight stays from this clientele over the same period.
Geneva Tourism explained that the decline in demand from the Gulf States was not solely due to the war in Iran.
Switzerland Tourism’s forecasts for the current year indicate a 1% fall in hotel overnight stays to 41.1 million.
Soaring prices in China
Headwinds will continue to blow in 2027, with kerosene prices – which have made travel more expensive – also at the forefront. Chinese online travel agencies are therefore forecasting that airfares to Europe will be 20% to 30% more expensive in 2027.
Furthermore, geopolitical instability is compounded by social and political unrest in several European cities, with protests, as well as concerns over air traffic safety following a recent spate of bomb threats.
Consequently, Switzerland Tourism expects to barely maintain the number of overnight stays in 2027 (-0.3%). Asia is expected to grow by 6%, partly offsetting the declines seen in 2026, whilst the domestic market and neighbouring markets will decline slightly (by -0.6% and -1.1% respectively).
More
More
Switzerland ranks among top ten in WEF Tourism Index
+ How we produce news in English
Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
