Arrivals: Number of guests (including children) who spent one or several nights in a hotel establishment or supplementary accommodation.
Rooms:
Rooms available: Number of rooms in open establishments,
on average for the period under review.
Rooms surveyed: Number of rooms in the establishments surveyed, on average for the period under review.
Swiss household consumption expenditure: Swiss household consumption expenditure is all the expenditure households devote to purchasing consumer goods and services in Switzerland. (Charges, taxes, donations, remittances and other disbursements are not included). Final household consumption is therefore the value of goods and services used to meet human needs directly.
Establishments:
Establishments open: Number of establishments open at least one day during the month under review, on average for the period under review.
Establishments surveyed: Number of establishments surveyed (open or temporarily closed) during the month under review, on average for the period under review.
Health establishments: points of care offering services similar to hotels, without public funding. Examples: medical health resorts, therapeutic clinics, high altitude clinics, clinics for rheumatism, spa establishments.
Length of stay: number of nights on average in a hotel or supplementary accommodation. The length of stay is calculated by dividing the number of overnight stays by the number of arrivals.
Major region (7): The Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) is a redefinition of boundaries intended to facilitate comparisons between countries or regions of the same unit. Used by Eurostat, it thus divides the economic territory of the Union European (EU) into different regional levels. On this basis, Switzerland is divided into seven major regions:
1 Lake Geneva region: Vaud, Valais, Geneva
2 Espace Mittelland: Bern, Fribourg, Solothurn, Neuchâtel, Jura
3 North-West Switzerland: Basel-Stadt, Basel-Land, Aargau
4 Zurich: Zurich
5 Eastern Switzerland: Glarus, Schaffhausen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, St Gallen, Graubünden, Thurgau.
6 Central Switzerland: Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Zug
7 Ticino: Ticino
Tourist accommodation: Refers to all infrastructure used for commercial purposes and intended to accommodate tourists (hotels, health establishments, holiday homes, collective accommodation and campsites).
Hotel accommodation: Includes the types of accommodation «hotels» and «health establishments».
Hotels: Establishments offering accommodation as well as several other services such as a reception and room cleaning. Examples: hotels, motels, guest houses, inns offering accommodation, etc.
Price level index in international comparison: The comparative price level index makes it possible to compare differences in the prices of goods or services between countries, while eliminating the impact of exchange rates. In other words, it compares price levels in certain countries with the average price level of a group of reference countries (e.g. the EU). They are calculated based on the quotient formed by purchasing power parity and the exchange rate (on annual average) and multiplied by 100.
Swiss Consumer Price Index (CPI): The CPI measures the change in the price of a shopping basket of representative goods and services for private household consumption. It is used to measure the inflation of goods and services and the variation in Swiss private households’ purchasing power. In other words, it indicates how many consumers have to increase or decrease their expenditure to maintain the same volume of consumption despite variations in price.
Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP): The HICP is above all used to compare the price trend between different countries. This instrument offers Switzerland an indicator to measure the price trend of consumer goods and services according to the same criteria as those used by European countries and countries in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
Consumer confidence index: Every quarter, a survey is carried out of 1200 households and commissioned by SECO. This covers subjective information on the evaluations and expectations of private households as regards their economic situation, their budget, price trends, job security, etc.
Beds:
Beds available: Number of beds in open establishments, on average for the period under review.
Beds surveyed: Number of beds in the establishments surveyed, on average for the period under review.
Overnight stays: Number of nights spent by visitors (including children) in an establishment used for commercial or non-commercial purposes.
Supplementary accommodation:
Collective accommodation: Establishments renting beds in group rooms, which offer the possibility of renting an individual bed in a room and not the whole room (mountain cabins and huts, hostels with dormitories, etc.). This type of accommodation also includes premises let as a whole that are intended for groups (large house or holiday camp, etc.).
Holiday homes and apartments: Accommodation that is commercially run and made available for tourism purposes (short-term accommodation) through a travel or rental agency (e.g. tourist office or booking platform) against payment. Examples: accommodation in holiday houses or apartments, chalets, etc.
Campsites: Accommodation on delimited campsites on which a caravan, mobile home or tent may be left for a limited stay.
Country of origin: Countries in which visitors have their permanent residence. The term «domestic visitors» denotes tourists who are resident in Switzerland and the term «foreign visitors» denotes tourists who are resident abroad.
Gross domestic product (GDP): Gross domestic product (GDP) measures a national economy’s performance during one year. It measures the value of the goods and services produced in the relevant country, provided that they are not used to produce other goods and services. In other words, it defines the total value of the production of wealth by economic agents residing within the territory. GDP is calculated based on current prices, as well as on constant prices for a given year. Using constant prices, real economic development is represented without taking into account the influence of prices.
Tourism characteristic products: Products which are essential for fulfilling tourism needs or which, without tourism, would not be produced or only produced in insignificant quantities. Main components: accommodation, food and beverage serving services in hotels and restaurants, passenger transport.
Tourism-related products: Products which have an important role in fulfilling tourism needs. Examples: retail trade, petrol stations, health, communication.
Tourism-specific products: Refer to all tourism characteristic products and tourism-related products.
Tourist region (13): At the decision of the Swiss Conference of Regional Tourism Directors (RDK/CDR), the Swiss territory, as a tourist country, is organised into thirteen main tourist regions:
1 Graubünden: Canton of Graubünden
2 Eastern Switzerland: Cantons of Glarus, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Thurgau, Schaffhausen (excluding part of the Schaffhausen district); canton of St Gallen (excluding part of the electoral district of See-Gaster)
3 Zurich Region: Cantons of Zurich and Zug; Canton of Aargau: commune of Baden; canton of Schwyz: Höfe district and part of the March district; canton of St Gallen, parts of the electoral district of See-Gaster; canton of Schauffhausen, part of the district of Schaffhausen.
4 Lucerne/Lake Lucerne: Cantons of Lucerne, Uri, Obwalden, Nidwalden; canton of Schwyz (without the districts of Höfe and without part of March)
5 Basel region: Cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft
6 Bern region: Canton of Bern, administrative district of Emmental, Oberaargau, Bern Mittelland, Frutigen-Niedersimmental, Interlaken-Oberhasli, Obersimmental-Saanen and Thun
8 Jura and Three Lakes: Cantons of Neuchâtel, Jura; canton of Bern, administrative districts of Bernese Jura, Biel/Bienne and Seeland
9 Lake Geneva region (Vaud): Canton of Vaud
10 Geneva: Canton of Geneva
11 Valais: Canton of Valais
12 Ticino: Canton of Ticino
13 Fribourg Region: Canton of Fribourg
14 Aargau and Solothurn Region: Canton of Aargau excl. commune of Baden; canton of Solothurn.
Summer tourist season: May to October.
Winter tourist season: November to April.
Bed occupancy rate: As a percentage of beds or rooms occupied in hotel or supplementary accommodation.
Gross room occupancy rate: Number of occupied rooms divided by the total gross room capacity of the period under review, as a percentage. (The gross room capacity is the number of available rooms of an establishment during the month under review, multiplied by the number of days this establishment is open during this month).
Gross bed occupancy rate: Number of occupied rooms divided by the total gross bed capacity of the period under review, as a percentage. (The gross bed capacity is the number of available beds of an establishment during the month under review, multiplied by the number of days this establishment is open during this month).
Net occupancy rate of rooms: Number of occupied rooms divided by the total net room capacity of the period under review, as a percentage. (The net room capacity is the number of available rooms of an establishment during the month under review, multiplied by the number of days this establishment is open during this month).
Net bed occupancy rate: Number of overnight stays divided by the total net bed capacity of the period under review, as a percentage. (The net bed capacity is the number of available beds in an establishment during the month under review, multiplied by the number of days this establishment was open during that month).
Motorised private transport: Motorised private transport includes cars, motorbikes, mopeds and camping cars.
Public overland transport: Overland public transport includes trains, buses, PostBuses, trams and underground trains.
EU (European Union): Composition of the EU as of 1st January 2023.
Gross value added: Increase in the value of goods generated by the productive system before deductions for depreciation. The gross value added is calculated as the gross production value (at base prices) minus intermediary consumption (at purchase prices).
Gross production value: Value of goods and services produced in the country, at base prices.Trip: A trip is a journey during which a person leaves their usual environment for at least three hours (day trip) up to a maximum of 365 days (journey with overnight stays). A distinction is made between short trips of 1 to 3 overnight stays and long trips of 4 nights or more. Changes in location in connection with activities that take place on a regular and repetitive basis (once or several times a week) are not included.
Business trips: All trips for professional reasons, even if the respondent only accompanies another person from their household.
Trips made for personal reasons: All non-professional trips such as excursions, holidays, visits, accompaniment, pilgrimages or treatments.