Bed & Breakfast Accommodations: Significant Growth in Switzerland
VILLARS-SUR-GLANE, Switzerland, May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
After the remarkable increase already observed in 2010, it reached 9.5% in 2011. Within the tourism sector, which presently experiences some difficulties, private accommodations seem to meet exactly the customers' requirements.
Private accommodations in Switzerland experienced a spectacular success in 2011. In fact, the number of registered overnight stays among the accommodations investigated by the organisation Bed and Breakfast Switzerland increased by 9.5%[1] compared to the year 2010, when growth reached 9.3%. These results exceed by far all expectations in a tourism sector presently confronted with some difficulties caused by the strong Swiss franc.
This excellent performance is mainly due to the increasing number of Swiss visitors as well as guests from Germany and France. More and more travellers prefer to spend leisure time and relax in a welcoming family environment, not too far from home, than travelling to long range destinations. The Bed & Breakfast (BnB) accommodation system seems to be particularly suitable and appreciated.
In total, 404,598 overnight stays have been reported among the 912 investigated accommodations. Visitors from Switzerland stay by far the most represented, with 46.8% of the total. Following are citizens from Germany (20%) and France (6.2%), from the United Kingdom (3%), the Netherlands and the United States (2.7% each), Italy (2.6%), Belgium (1.8%), Austria (1.4%) and Spain (1.1%). The investigated accommodations report a strong increase of Swiss (+11.6%) and Finnish guests (+118.2%), although the latter represent only 0.5% of the overnight stays in 2011. On the other hand, the number of visitors coming from Australia, New Zealand and Oceania (0.6% of the total) shows a strong decline (-24.2%). Visitors from Europe (Switzerland excepted), represent 44.4% of the overnight stays, while 4.2% come from the Americas, 3.5% from Asia, 0.6% from Oceania and 0.4% from Africa.
Very short stays for the Swiss
Among all investigated accommodations the average duration of stay was 2.4 days. Guests from Portugal lead again with an average duration of stay of 6.4 days. Followed on this top position by the Poles (5.6 days), the Finns (5 days), Hungarians (4.2 days), Czechs (3.3 days), Austrians and Britons (3.2 days each), and the Germans (3 days). Swiss visitors, for their part, make the shortest visits with an average duration of stay of only 2 days
The canton of Valais is the most represented region, leading with 836 beds offered. The region around Lake Geneva is is placed second with 632 beds. Followed by the Bernese Oberland (618), eastern Switzerland (558), central Switzerland around Lucerne and Lake Lucerne (471), Zurich and surroundings (449), Ticino (428), the Grisons (385), the regions of Berne (327) and Basel (310), the Jura region and the three lakes (252), Fribourg and surroundings (217), and finally Geneva (46).
Regarding the geographical distribution of the overnight stays, the Bernese Oberland is leading with 14.2%. Followed tightly by the canton of Valais and the region around Lake Geneva (Vaud) hosting 13.7% and 12.7% of the visitors. Next come the regions of Zurich and Lucerne as well as the area around Lake Lucerne (9.5% each), eastern Switzerland (8.7%), Ticino (7.3%), the region of Berne (6.2%), the Grisons (5.7%), Basel and sourroundings (4.5%), the Jura region and the three lakes (4%), Fribourg (3.2%), and Geneva (0.8%). This year again, the canton of Geneva shows the longest duration of stay with an average of 4.7 days.
[1]This figure is based on the direct comparison of the yearly results reported by 824 of 912 investigated accommodations in Switzerland in 2011.
For further information:
Contact:
Bed and Breakfast Switzerland
1752 Villars-sur-Glâne
Laurent TABIN, +41-79-627-95-49, laurent.tabin@bnb.ch
Dorette PROVOOST, +41-79-356-39-78, dorette.provoost@bnb.ch
Nicole NEYROUD, +41-79-364-58-91, nicole.neyroud@bnb.ch
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