Swiss travelers are more rustic and travel longer

The US company Airbnb publishes a comprehensive report for the first time Switzerland travel trend report. The resurgence of urban and international markets can be seen in Switzerland and abroad. The report also shows that the need for cultural exposure is increasing around the world. Cultural tourism is a rapidly growing sector, accounting for about 40 percent of travel.

Swiss travel behaviour
After the pandemic-related travel restrictions, the desire to travel has also returned among the Swiss. Compared to the previous year, the number of flight searches increased by about 50 percent. According to the Travel Report, the popular overseas travel destinations in the first quarter are the mountains and countries of Norway and the United Kingdom, as well as the cities of Edinburgh (UK), Oslo (NOR), Copenhagen (DEN) and Brittany (FR). Other popular searches include the cities of Tarragona, Ibiza, and Madrid from Spain, as well as Dublin (IRL) and Prague (CZE). According to Airbnb searches, the popular domestic destinations in the first quarter are Interlaken, Bern, Saanen, Arosa, St. Gallen, Basel, Neuchâtel, St. Moritz, Geneva and Scuol.

Swiss travelers travel longer. The length of stay increases. On average, one in seven flights booked is longer than 28 days. The reason for long trips is the new freedom of being able to work from anywhere, as reported by Airbnb. The top 10 long-term travel destinations in the first quarter are: London (UK), Paris (France), New York (US), Geneva (CH), Zurich (CH), Berlin (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Los Angeles (US), Seoul (SK) and Lausanne (CH).

The travel platform also states that Swiss travelers are increasingly visiting rural areas in addition to extended stays. Approximately 25 percent of first-quarter bookings will be in a rural area. This corresponds to an increase of more than 20 percent over the previous year.

the swiss hosts
There are about 25,000 Airbnb hosts in Switzerland. Of those, 90 percent are home-share businesses, which means the residential property is rented out while the hosts themselves travel or a vacant room is rented out. About a quarter of Airbnb listings are for private rooms.

The main reason for renting out living space to third parties is the extra income from sharing the house due to the unstable economic situation and rising prices. Airbnb recorded a 10 percent growth in active listings and an almost 30 percent increase in active hosts compared to 2021. The income of about 25,000 Swiss hosts reached CHF 27.7 million in 2022, with an average income of CHF 2,400 per year. The average room rate per night is 80 francs.

Airbnb publishes information about hosts in Switzerland in its Travel Trends report: the proportion of hosts is over 50%, and the average age is 47. Swiss are rated well on the Airbnb platform. The average score is 4.8 out of 5 points. According to the report, 80 percent of Swiss hosts get the best rating. Measured by the number of 5-star ratings, Nislau (SG), Weggis (LU), Trane (GB), Ronco Supra Ascona (TI), Ichi by Spies (BE), Sigriswil (BE) and Saarinen belong in 2022 (OW) of Among the most hospitable destinations. Switzerland is popular internationally, with Grindelwald among the ten most searched destinations around the world in summer 2023, along with Barcelona, ​​Rome and Gotland, according to the report.

Foreign guests in Switzerland
In 2022, Airbnb records 1.3 million guests arriving in Switzerland. This corresponds to an annual growth of 30 percent. The largest countries of origin were Switzerland, the USA, Germany, France, Great Britain and the Netherlands. 35 percent of the guests were locals and 65 percent from overseas. The top cantons by guests arriving in 2022 included: Bern, Valais, Ticino, Vaud, Zurich, Graubünden, Lucerne, Geneva, St Gallen and BaselStadt.

The average Airbnb guest stay was four days. On average, the travelers were 39 years old and traveled in groups of two to three people, as reported in the travel report. Tourists spend an average of 200 francs per day. The majority of spending went to restaurants, groceries, and shopping.