UK, Germany and More Countries Lead Switzerland Tourism Growth as Hotel Overnight Stays Reach Record Nearly Forty Four Million in 2025

Written By: Ananya Dey

Ananya Dey

I amAnanya Dey, a Journalism and Mass Communication postgraduate with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science (Honours). I am passionate about travel, writing, and research, with a strong interest in storytelling and content creation.

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September 5, 2026 11:01 PM

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UK, Germany and more countries lead Switzerland tourism growth as hotel overnight stays reach a record nearly forty four million in 2025. Switzerland tourism achieved this milestone because foreign visitors and domestic travellers increased demand across the country’s hotels. UK, Germany and more countries supported the growth as international markets delivered stronger overnight stays. The reason behind the record performance was rising demand from Europe, the United States, China and other global markets. Hotel overnight stays reached nearly forty four million because Switzerland continued attracting travellers with Alpine experiences, cities, culture and year-round tourism opportunities.

Switzerland Hotel Tourism Performance Hits New High With 43.9 Million Overnight Stays in 2025

Switzerland strengthened its position as a leading European tourism destination in 2025 as the country’s hotel sector recorded its highest-ever number of overnight stays. Official data from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) shows that Swiss hotels registered 43.9 million overnight stays, increasing by 1.1 million nights compared with 2024.

The growth was supported by both international and domestic travellers. Foreign visitors generated 22.8 million overnight stays, while Swiss residents contributed 21.1 million overnight stays. The performance shows continued demand for Switzerland’s mountain destinations, cities, cultural attractions and year-round tourism experiences.

The Swiss hotel sector surpassed its previous record, with room occupancy reaching 56.8%. This was higher than the previous record of 55.2% recorded in 2019, highlighting stronger utilisation of accommodation capacity across the country.

Foreign Visitors Push Switzerland Tourism to Historic Overnight Stay Record

International demand was the strongest driver of Switzerland’s hotel tourism growth in 2025. Foreign visitors recorded 22.8 million overnight stays, increasing by 803,000 nights compared with 2024.

The result represented a historic peak and exceeded previous records from both 2024 and 2019. The growth confirms the continued recovery and expansion of international travel demand for Switzerland after earlier disruptions.

European travellers remained the largest foreign visitor group. Visitors from Europe accounted for 12.7 million overnight stays, representing more than half of all foreign overnight stays in Swiss hotels.

The United Kingdom recorded one of the strongest increases among European markets. UK visitors added 121,000 overnight stays, reaching the highest level since 2010.

Germany remained the leading source market for foreign demand. The country added 76,000 overnight stays, moving closer to its 2019 performance level. Italy and France also contributed to Switzerland’s international tourism growth.

United States Leads Growth Among Overseas Markets as Global Demand Expands

The United States continued to strengthen its importance for Swiss tourism in 2025. American visitors recorded the largest increase among all foreign markets, adding 190,000 overnight stays compared with 2024.

The US market represented more than three-quarters of overnight stays from visitors from the Americas. The increase helped the Americas region reach another record year, with total overnight stays rising to 4.9 million.

Asian markets also contributed to Switzerland’s tourism performance. Visitors from Asian countries recorded 4.5 million overnight stays, with China showing the strongest growth in the region.

Chinese visitors increased by 67,000 overnight stays, reaching 793,000 nights in 2025. India also recorded growth, adding 12,000 overnight stays compared with the previous year.

Domestic Tourism Demand Reaches New Record Across Switzerland

Domestic travel remained an important foundation for Switzerland’s hotel sector in 2025. Swiss residents generated 21.1 million overnight stays, increasing by 296,000 nights compared with 2024.

The result exceeded the previous domestic tourism record set in 2022. Most months recorded growth, with December showing the strongest increase at 5.9%.

July remained the most popular month for Swiss domestic travellers, recording 2.2 million overnight stays. The month also delivered the largest increase compared with 2024, adding 70,000 overnight stays.

Switzerland Tourism Regions Benefit From Rising Hotel Demand

The growth was spread across most Swiss tourism regions. Eleven of the country’s thirteen tourist regions recorded higher overnight stays compared with 2024.

The Zurich region recorded the largest increase, adding 253,000 overnight stays. Vaud followed with an increase of 170,000 nights, while Graubünden added 153,000 overnight stays.

Several regions achieved their strongest performance in more than three decades. Zurich, Lucerne/Lake Lucerne, Geneva and Vaud were among the destinations reaching historic levels of hotel demand.

The strong regional performance reflects Switzerland’s broad tourism appeal, combining Alpine travel, urban tourism, cultural experiences and outdoor activities throughout the year.

UK, Germany and more countries lead Switzerland tourism growth as hotel overnight stays reach a record nearly forty four million in 2025 because international and domestic travel demand continued rising. The reason was strong visitor contributions from major markets, including the UK, Germany, the United States, China and India. Switzerland tourism growth reached a historic level as hotel overnight stays increased through global demand and domestic travel strength. UK, Germany and more countries will remain important for Switzerland tourism as the destination continues building momentum through diverse experiences, strong accommodation performance and record visitor interest across its regions.

Image: https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-gb/destinations/attractions/top-attractions