The Zurich tourism region recorded a total decrease of 1.4 percent in overnight stays in the first half of 2026 compared to the previous year. Following growth of 3.5 percent in January and 3.9 percent in February, a declining trend began in March. Overnight stays decreased by 2.7 percent in March, 4.6 percent in April, 2.5 percent in May, and 3.1 percent in June.
Long-haul markets experience the strongest decline, North America remains stable. The decline was particularly pronounced in long-haul markets that rely heavily on air connections via the Middle East. India recorded a decrease of 27.9 percent in the first half of the year, Southeast Asia 25.8 percent, the Gulf States 14.1 percent, and Greater China 2.4 percent.
North America, however, remained stable. The most important foreign source market of the Zurich tourism region recorded a slight growth of 0.8 percent and maintained a strong position with a market share of 13.1 percent.
Domestic market Switzerland for the first time over 40 percent market share. The domestic market Switzerland remains the main pillar of the Zurich tourism region. With growth of 1.1 percent compared to the previous year, for the first time, 40.4 percent or more than four in ten overnight stays were attributed to Swiss guests.
The nearby European markets also developed steadily and increased by 1.3 percent overall compared to the previous year. Austria (+11.6%) and Spain (+10.6%) developed particularly well. Germany (+1.2%), Italy (+1.2%), and the Netherlands (+0.4%) also recorded increases, while the UK (-1.0%) and France (-0.7%) showed slight declines.
The development of the source markets shows that due to geopolitical uncertainties, more travelers are currently choosing vacations within Europe and to closer destinations. As a result, the Zurich tourism region is also benefiting.
At the same time, the losses among guests from the Gulf States, Greater China, and Southeast Asia are economically particularly significant. These markets are among the highest-spending source markets in leisure tourism and have above-average daily expenditures per overnight guest.
Impacts on the entire tourism economy. For the second time, Zurich Tourism conducted an online survey in July 2026 among 845 members and partner businesses. 182 businesses from accommodation, gastronomy, retail, and other tourism-related sectors participated.
The results show that the impacts are not limited to the hotel industry, but affect the entire tourism-related ecosystem. 44 percent of the surveyed businesses report declining demand in the four to six weeks prior to the survey compared to the previous year, with 14 percent reporting a significant decline. 45 percent of respondents reported stable demand, and 10 percent reported increasing demand. The accommodation, gastronomy, and leisure activities sectors in particular more frequently experienced declines in demand compared to other sectors. Although a slight alleviation is visible compared to the first survey for the first quarter of 2026, the situation is still predominantly considered serious by the businesses.
Geopolitical uncertainties continue to have a strong impact on guest behaviour. For the first time, numerous businesses report more cautious spending habits. The proportion of businesses noticing lower guest spending increased from 36 percent in the first survey for the first quarter of 2026 to 46 percent in the current survey. This development is particularly noticeable in retail, congress and event infrastructure, and gastronomy. Last-minute bookings are also increasing and complicating planning. Yet, only 23 percent of businesses now observe an increase in cancellations compared to 39 percent in the first survey for the first quarter of 2026. For the next three months, businesses largely expect stable demand. Overall, expectations indicate a gradual stabilization.
Broadly diversified guest mix strengthens resilience. According to Thomas Wüthrich, Director of Zurich Tourism, the half-year results for 2026 show that short-term flexibility and a long-term market strategy complement each other successfully: "Shortly after the geopolitical escalation, we adjusted our market processing and purposefully invested additional resources in Switzerland and the nearby European markets. At the same time, we intensified communication with the industry and systematically recorded the impacts on the tourism economy with two surveys. Our long-term market strategy remains unchanged, while we respond flexibly to changing conditions. That the domestic market Switzerland has for the first time reached more than 40 percent of all overnight stays confirms the importance of a broadly diversified guest mix – especially in geopolitically uncertain times."
July and August are now followed by two of the months with the highest overnight stays of the year. They will be decisive for the tourism balance in 2026. Zurich Tourism will therefore continue to closely monitor the development of demand.
contact
Zürich Tourismus
Michael Müller,
Corporate
Communications & Media Spokesperson
Gessnerallee 3, CH-8001 Zürich
T +41 44 215 40
13
michael.mueller@zuerich.com
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