Tourism in Switzerland
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As of 2016, tourism accounted for an estimated 2.6% (CHF 16.8 billion) of Switzerland's GDP, compared to 2.6% (CHF 12.8 billion) in 2001.
History
Tourism began in Switzerland with British mountaineers climbing the main peaks of the Bernese Alps in the early 19th century.
The Alpine Club in London was founded in 1857. Reconvalescence in the Alpine, in particular from tuberculosis, was another important branch of tourism in the 19th and early 20th centuries: for example in Davos, Graubünden. Due to the prominence of the Bernese Alps in British mountaineering, the Bernese Oberland was long especially known as a tourist destination. Meiringen's Reichenbach Falls achieved literary fame as the site of the fictional death of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes (1893). The first organised tourist holidays to Switzerland were offered during the 19th century by Thomas Cook and Lunn Travel companies. Tourism in Switzerland had been exclusively for the rich until it became widely popular in the 20th century.
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Notable tourist destinations in Switzerland
- Large cities
- Smaller cities
- Biel/Bienne
- Chur
- Fribourg
- Interlaken
- La Chaux-de-Fonds
- Lugano
- Montreux
- Neuchâtel
- Rapperswil
- Schaffhausen
- Sion
- Solothurn
- St. Gallen
- Thun
- Zug
- Small towns and villages
- Arbon
- Ascona
- Baden
- Bremgarten
- Gruyères
- Delémont
- Kaiseraugst
- Le Locle
- Morcote
- Murten
- Quinten
- Regensberg
- Rheinau
- Romont
- Stein am Rhein
- Resorts in the Alps
- Natural regions
- Bernese Alps (notably Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau), with glaciers (notably the Aletsch Glacier), deep valleys (e.g. Aare Gorge, Lauterbrunnental), waterfalls (e.g. Mürrenbach Falls, Staubbach Falls), lakes (e.g. Oeschinen Lake) and caves
- Valais Alps and Chablais Alps (on the left side of the Rhone valley), contain the highest mountains of the Alps (notably Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn on the border with Italy), ski resorts like Zermatt, and a waterfall in a cave
- Gotthard Massif, with the Gotthard Pass at its heart, notable for the historic Gotthard routes (north–south axis), the Matterhorn Gotthard railway (west–east axis) and the many other high road passes (Nufenen, Grimsel, Furka, Susten, Klausen, Oberalp and Lukmanier)
- Grison Alps, with the Engadin Valley or Lake Cauma
- Eastern Switzerland, with Alpstein (Mount Säntis, Ebenalp, Seealpsee) and Churfirsten mountain ranges, Tamina Gorge, Lake Constance, the second largest lake in the country (bordering Austria and Germany) and Lake Walen
- Lake Lucerne, the largest lake in central Switzerland, notable for the many mountain railways in the surrounding mountains, notably the Rigi and Pilatus Railway
- Lake Geneva, the largest lake in the country, notable for the Riviera and the many vineyards
- Seeland, the region of Lake Neuchâtel, Lake Biel and Lake Morat
- Jura Mountains and Table Jura, a moderately elevated mountainous region north of the Swiss Plateau (e.g. Chasseral, Creux du Van, Lägern, Randen)
- Rhine (Alpine Rhine, High Rhine), the largest river in the country, is notable for the Rhine Falls and Ruinaulta
- Italian Lakes, a group of lakes on the Italian border (lakes Maggiore and Lugano), notable for being the warmest place in the country
Emblematic sights
Activities
Boating
The following navigation companies offer tourism-oriented boat services on Swiss lakes and rivers:
- Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman on Lake Geneva (Lac Léman)
- Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft on Lake Zurich (Zürichsee) and the Limmat
- Lake Lucerne Navigation Company on Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee)
- Schiffsbetrieb Walensee on Lake Walen (Walensee)
- Schweizerische Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Untersee und Rhein on Lower Lake Constance (Untersee) and the High Rhine
- Società Navigazione del Lago di Lugano on Lake Lugano (Lago di Lugano / Lago di Ceresio)
- Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi on Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore)
Cycling
Cycling is popular in Switzerland, both for commuting and as a recreational activity. The country has an extensive network of national, regional and local cycling routes, along with designated mountain bike trails.
Events
- Alpabzug/Désalpes
- Art Basel
- Art Zurich
- Basel Tattoo
- Carnival of Basel
- Locarno Film Festival
- Lucerne Festival
- Montreux Jazz Festival
- Paléo Festival
- National Day
- Schwingen
- Sechseläuten
- Solothurn Film Festival
- Street Parade
- Zibelemärit
- Zurich Film Festival
Hiking
Hiking is one of the main sports activities in Switzerland and is often referred to as the "national sport". About one-third of the population practice hiking regularly, with a total of 520,000,000 kilometres (320,000,000 mi) in 130 million hours being travelled every year by the Swiss. Along with cycling, walking, in general, is the preferred form of mobility, regardless of social origins. The total hiking trail network is about 65,000 km (40,000 mi). Hiking trails in Switzerland offer a wide range of difficulty levels, catering to both casual walkers and experienced mountaineers, with many routes featuring breathtaking views of the Alps and pristine natural landscapes. Examples are:
- Balfrin Höhenweg
- Jura ridgeway
- Haute Route (international)
- Rheintaler Höhenweg
- Swiss Path
- Trans-Swiss Trail
- Via Alpina (international)
- Via del Mercato (international)
- Via Francigena (international)
- Via Jacobi
Skiing
Trains and funiculars
For non-Swiss tourists, travelling the country by rail is possible with Interrail and Eurail passes, along with the Swiss Travel Pass valid for rail, bus and boat. Tourism-oriented trains in Switzerland mostly run under the Panorama Express (PE) category. Examples are:
- Bernina Express
- Glacier Express
- GoldenPass Express
- Gotthard Panorama Express
- Jungfrau Railway
- Voralpen Express
Tourist attractions
Statistics
Official statistics of tourism were planned in 1852, but were only realized in 1934, and continued until 2003. Since 2004, the Federal Statistical Office had discontinued its statistics, but collaborates with Switzerland Tourism in the publication of yearly "Swiss Tourism Figures". In the year 2011, a total number of 4,967 registered hotels or hostels, offered a total of 240,000 beds in 128,000 rooms. This capacity was saturated to 41.7% (compared to 39.7% in 2005), amounting to a total of 38.8 million lodging nights. 14% of hotels were in Grisons, 12% each in the Valais and Eastern Switzerland, 11% in Central Switzerland and 9% in the Bernese Oberland. The ratio of lodging nights in relation to resident population ("tourism intensity", a measure for the relative importance of tourism to local economy) was largest in Grisons (8.3) and Bernese Oberland (5.3), compared to a Swiss average of 1.3. 56.4% of lodging nights were by visitors from abroad (broken down by nationality: 16.5% Germany, 6.3% United Kingdom, 4.8% United States, 3.6% France, 3.0% Italy).
The total financial volume associated with tourism, including transportation, is estimated to CHF 35.5 billion (as of 2010) although some of this comes from fuel tax and sales of motorway vignettes. The total gross value added from tourism is 14.9 billion. Tourism provides a total of 144,838 full-time equivalent jobs in the entire country. The total financial volume of tourist lodging is 5.19 billion CHF and eating at the lodging provides an additional 5.19 billion. The total gross value added of 14.9 billion is about 2.9% of Switzerland's 2010 nominal GDP of 550.57 billion CHF.
The most visited Swiss tourist attractions are first, the Rhine Falls, second, the Berne Bear exhibit (both without entrance fee), and third, with over 1.8 million paid entries: Zoo Basel.
Overnight stays by country
Most overnight stays in 2019 in Switzerland were from the following countries of residence: