Swiss hotel stays fall 2.1% in August

Overnight stays at Swiss hotels fell 2.1% year on year in August to 4.88 million, with fewer guests from abroad and Switzerland, SRF reported, citing the Federal Statistical Office.

Stays by international guests declined 2.6%, while those by Swiss guests fell 1.5%. The drop followed a 0.5% rise in July.

SRF attributed the decline in international visitors mainly to disruption caused by the continuing conflict in the Middle East. Since the outbreak of the Iran war, guest numbers have fallen particularly from India, China, Southeast Asia and the Gulf states. Popular flight routes through hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha have been significantly disrupted, the report said.

From January to August, total overnight stays were down 0.7% compared with the same period in record-setting 2025, to 30.2 million. Stays by international guests fell 2.2% to 15.5 million, including declines of 23% for visitors from India, 16% from the Gulf states and nearly 7% from China. Stays by Swiss guests rose 0.9% to 14.6 million.