by Simon Bradley, swissinfo.ch
Geneva needs to diversify its tourism offer to compensate for an over-reliance on holidaymakers from the Gulf states, say tourism experts.
Some 1.8 million people attended the Fêtes de Genève festival that ended on Sunday, but the figures were down from two million last year, most likely due to a clash with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The Reformation Wall is a popular tourist sight in Geneva (Keystone)
Visitors from the Middle East were conspicuous by their absence at this year’s festival, said Paul Muller, president of the Geneva Hotel Owners Association.
“Without Ramadan, holidaymakers from the Gulf typically account for 50 per cent of all hotel bookings in July and August,” Muller told swissinfo.ch. “This year they were present until July 25 but in August there was no one.”
Bookings were partly compensated by visitors from China, eastern Europe and India, he added.
But the financial impact is expected to be considerable for both hotel and shop owners. According to American Express, holidaymakers from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, spend on average SFr1,892 ($2,395) per hotel room – two and a half times as much as Chinese tourists – and SFr1,000 on shopping during their stay.
They are thought to contribute towards the success of the festival, which brings in SFr120 million for the canton.
“There will be a big deficit this year as many families spend SFr2,000-4,000 to organise an evening event,” said Geneva Tourism spokesman Bernard Cazaban.
Categories: Economics, Switzerland, Tourism, United Arab Emirates