SWITZERLAND Tourism is bracing itself for the impact of the revaluation of the Swiss franc, which has made the destination even more expensive for its traditional European markets.
The dark clouds could prove beneficial, however, to the Asian market that can expect Switzerland Tourism and Swiss hotels to court it ever more earnestly.
Urs Eberhard, executive vice president-markets & meetings, Switzerland Tourism, has confirmed the NTO “will shift even more attention to Asia, where the interest in the assets of Switzerland is unbroken, where we still rank among the most preferred destination worldwide, and where the euro/franc exchange rate plays a less important role”.
It will also continue to develop new source markets for Switzerland.
“In the short-term, if the franc remains strong, we can expect an impact on bookings from nearby markets,” Eberhard told TTG Asia e-Daily.
“The worst problem is the fluctuation and the uncertainty of not knowing what the exchange rate is at the time of booking of the vacation. People can eventually cope with an exchange rate but not with a constant up and down. This could lead to a cautious attitude and temporary stop in bookings,” he said.
David Painter, CEO of Kuoni Group Travel Experts (GTE), believes the Asian market will remain strong.
“With a weakening euro against many Asian currencies, we will continue to see our Asian customers travelling throughout Europe,” said Painter.
“Before this issue, many in the industry were increasingly looking towards Asia but we are fortunate to already have market leading positions there and – under the new Kuoni strategic direction – will be investing even more to secure it.”
Kuoni GTE booked over 2.5 million room nights last year all across Europe from Asia, with a majority of the bookings being multi-destination trips.
Switzerland Tourism, which has launched the Grand Tour of Switzerland initiative, will focus even more on getting Asians to spend all or most of their time in the country rather than on a multi-country European itinerary.
Eberhard said: “We have to focus even more on selling the unique assets of Switzerland as a travel and conference destination – the nature, boutique towns, crystal-clear lakes and rivers, infrastructure, outdoor paradise, safety, many languages spoken, incredible diversity in such a small space, our public transportation system, and more.”
