Incoming Chinese tourists replace Western tourists in Switzerland

As the value of Swiss francs has considerably risen in the last few months, the number of tourists arriving from other European countries is now decreasing. However, major tourist destinations in Switzerland do not have to worry too much because there is a large wave of Chinese tourists coming.

The Swiss town Interlaken which is located at the bottom of the Jungfraujoch is a very famous tourist destination among Chinese tourists for its picturesque scene of the Alps. It is also the starting point of the railway Jungfraubahn, which leads from the town to the “Top of Europe” – the summit of Jungfraujoch. Due to these factors, Interlaken attracts many Chinese tourists every year and is still working harder to appeal to more potential visitors from the Middle Kingdom. This summer, the famous Chinese popstar G.E.M. gave a performance on the glacier of the Jungfraujoch with the sponsorship of Tag Heuer, in part with the ambition to increase the popularity of Interlaken in China.

The growing number of visits by Chinese tourists has also greatly fueled the sales of Swiss watches, especially in tourist towns like Interlaken. Watches are regarded in China as a symbol of status, and luxurious Swiss watches cost more in China than in Europe due to the high tax rate imposed by the Chinese government. Therefore, many Chinese tourists choose to buy watches during their trip to Europe, which helps increase the revenue generated from Chinese tourists for Switzerland.

According to Urs Wagenseil, professor at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts’ tourism institute, Switzerland needs to make more changes in order to meet the needs of these new tourists. Switzerland has not changed for a long time, but changes have to be made in the future. As European tourists are gradually replaced by Chinese tourists, Switzerland must prepare to adapt to this new trend.

Source: Reuters

Photo: flickr