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Fall break is just around the corner. Due to the corona crisis, almost only European destinations are suitable for a beach vacation. While travel agency reservations plummet, domestic tourism is booming.
Beach holidays in Southeast Asia are currently not possible, but Mr. and Mrs. Swiss do not have to do without the beach and the sea.
Safari in South Africa, samba in Rio or sunbathe in Indonesia. That sounds tempting, but is currently not possible due to the crown. If you still want to go to the sea again, you have to think of an alternative for the autumn holidays. According to Walter Kunz, Managing Director of the Swiss Travel Association, many Swiss switch to the ever-popular holiday destinations of Greece or Cyprus.
Portugal is currently very popular with the clients of the tour operator Kuoni, southern Turkey with Hotelplan and Tui refers to Egypt. Tour operators do not name Italy. This is due to the fact that travelers to Italy usually organize themselves and therefore do not appear in the number of travel agencies. For many, Italy is an alternative to distant vacation destinations like Thailand.
At the same time, a new change can be seen in the travel behavior of the Swiss in Italy. “Those who organized their holidays online last year prefer to book through a travel agency,” says Kunz. “Personal counseling is highly appreciated in times of crisis because you have a contact person you can turn to if you have any questions.”
For example, when a country is included in the federal quarantine list. Most tour operators offer free reservation changes in this case. The federal government now advises against traveling to 51 countries and parts of France and Austria. The reserves for these regions have fallen dramatically compared to the previous year.
Almost no planning certainty – travelers book on short notice
In general, things look bad at travel agencies, uncertainty is palpable and ultra last minute reservations are made. “Our clients are currently waiting as long as possible, especially to follow the quarantine list,” says a spokeswoman for Tui. “Consequently, our reserve figures are also below the level of the previous year.”
Sounds similar with Kuoni and Hotelplan: “Our bookings for the fall holidays are significantly lower than last year,” says a Kuoni spokesperson. Basically, the desire to travel shows. Therefore, travel agencies are pinning their hopes on short-term business.
However, the outlook remains bleak. “Currently, travel agencies only record about 15 percent of the previous year’s bookings,” Kunz says. This means that bookings for the fall holidays are roughly the same level as those for the previous summer holidays.
“The situation is dramatic,” says Kunz. “We would like to see corona tests introduced at airports and travelers from risk countries so that we can waive the quarantine.” However, so far, the federal government does not think so.
While Swiss travel agencies struggle to survive, domestic tourism is booming, especially in the mountains. E-domizil, the online broker for apartments and holiday homes in Switzerland, has already received twice as many bookings for the current month as the previous year.
The number of reservations received by the Interhome vacation rental agency is also well above the level of the previous year. Most Swiss tourists travel, unsurprisingly, to Ticino, Valais, the Bernese Oberland and Graubünden.
