Switzerland

From 22 May we will be working to update all of the data and documents on this page following the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revision of the International Passenger Survey (IPS) data for 2009-2018 and the released detailed 2019 data. UK data will be updated first and followed by the regional data from 27 May. Please be patient as we update these pages or contact the VisitBritain research team if you have any questions- VB/VEResearch@visitbritain.org. Thank you.

Visitor characteristics

There are more than twice as many male as female business visitors while there are smaller differences between the numbers of male and female leisure visitors
More than three-quarters of holiday visitors are making a repeat trip to Britain (excluding British nationals)
Most visitors are Swiss, but about one-in-five are British nationals
96% of departing visitors say that they are either ‘likely’ or ‘extremely’ likely to recommend a visit to Britain

Popular activities

Dining in a restaurant

Visited a Pub

Went Shopping

Global context


Measure	2019
International tourism expenditure (US$bn)	18.1
Global rank for international tourism expenditure	19
Number of outbound visits (m)	24.2
Most visited destination	France

Key demographic and economic data


Measure	2019
Population (m)	8.6
GDP per capita PPP (US$)	61,512
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%)	1.9
Annual average GDP growth in the past year (%)	1.2

Switzerland Market Snapshot (PDF, 543KB)

Switzerland Market Profile (PDF 2.96MB)

Find out where visitors from Switzerland to the UK reside in their own country (Excel, 176KB, Published 2016)

Read about the preferences of Europeans towards tourism (PDF, 1.65MB, Published March 2015)

Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.2103 CHF

As of 22 January 2021

Retrieved from the Bank of England

Inbound visits to Britain from Switzerland

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Number of visits

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Total expenditure (GBP)

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Total nights spent

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Average length of stay (Nights)

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Average spend per visit (GBP)

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What the Swiss think about Britain

The cultural product or service that the Swiss most associate with Britain is museums, but they have an above average propensity to associate Britain with pop videos
32% reckon that the adjective ‘exciting’ would describe a potential visit to Britain
More than half of Swiss associate Britain with the statement ‘has a rich and interesting history’ but both France and the USA are even more strongly associated with this attribute
While 38% associate Britain with the statement ‘is rich in natural scenic beauty’ leading competitors are much more strongly associated with the statement
Only 15% believe ‘is a relaxing destination’ is apposite for Britain and just 13% consider ‘is a romantic destination’ to be appropriate
Twice as many believe that the statement ‘people are welcoming’ is right for Italy than believe it to be right for Britain
More than one-in-four find the idea of ‘shopping in Harrods’ as appealing, and 21% associate the statement ‘shopping is good value for money’ in Britain

Caring for visitors

It is definitely an advantage to have important signs and information material printed in French and German and to know a few basic phrases in French and German to make Swiss visitors feel welcome
The Swiss are prepared to pay for good quality accommodation, but they do expect perfection
Cleanliness is of major importance to the Swiss, as are sustainability and environmental issues
The Swiss enjoy being able to consume organic food and will appreciate this being available when on holiday

The leisure & travel trade

According to the Swiss national travel agents’ association (SRV), the top ten tour operators in Switzerland probably account for 70% of the total market
The larger operators research their main programme between April and June, while smaller operators work to a slightly later timetable, researching between July and September
Major German operators are now increasingly active in Switzerland

Access to Britain from Switzerland


Measure	2019
Weekly aircraft departures	546
Weekly seat capacity	83,839
Airports with direct routes in Switzerland	4
Airports with direct routes in Britain	24

Virtually all visits to Britain from Switzerland are made by air
Seat capacity is highly seasonal reflecting demand for outbound winter sports travel from Britain to Switzerland
Geneva and Zurich are the airports with the highest volume of capacity destined for Britain, with the bulk of seats destined for London area airports
The current rate of Air Passenger Duty for visitors departing Britain for Switzerland is £13

Markets

Markets

Switzerland

Switzerland