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The Ups and Downs of Hotels in Switzerland

For many years hotels in Switzerland have been the synonym of highest quality and leading hospitality. However, the situation has changed in recent years. While hotel industry keeps changing and developing, hotels in Switzerland seem not to have any serious changes.

Switzerland has usually been a popular destination among European visitors. Tourists from France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy have completely dominated in the list of visitors of this country. However, in recent years the situation has changed, and tourists from such countries as China, India and the Middle East start playing a significant role. In 2010 the number of tourists from China grew by 48.8%, from India and the Arabian Gulf countries – by 21.1% and 13% respectively. The first half of 2011 only proves this trend. In August the number of tourists from Arabian countries decreased, featuring just a small rise comparing to 2010 – 4.5%. However, the reason for this is in Ramadan that keeps tourists from these countries in their homes.

The lack of changes is the key problem for this market. However, some hotels try to offer new experiences for their guests. For example, Victoria-Jungfrau Grand hotel in Interlaken has several Bollywood-themed suites designed by the Indian director Yash Chopra. Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich offers special services for Muslim visitors during Ramadan. The most usual response to the growing number of tourists from China is adding new Chinese food options and dishes.

The system of ownership also changes slowly. Many hotels in Switzerland are traditionally run as family business. However, big players like QDHP Swiss Management AG, which is a part of Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, steadily come to the market.

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