Switzerland No 1 for tourism competitiveness
Switzerland has been ranked first for the second year running on the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report.

“Switzerland is not only an attractive tourism destination but is also an important business travel hub, with many international fairs and exhibitions held in the country each year,” the WEF report said.


The report measured the competitiveness in the travel and tourism sector of 139 countries by examining indictors such as regulations and the business environment, human, cultural and natural resources, and safety and security.

Switzerland ranked in the top five for protection of property rights, transparency in government policy making, and stringency of environmental regulation and enforcement.


http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news_dig...l?cid=29663756

hopp schwiiz!

And the reality is that lots of hotels are just barely scraping by, especially in the Engadin.

As a tourist myself technically, I tend to agree.

If it were not for the exchange rate changes over the past five years, prices have changed very little. I expect that this is partly diue to the exchange rates. Hoteliers would probably have no business at all in some areas if the prices had risen with inflation for the last five years.

I have not been put off visiting due to the exchange rates. I have just lowered my standards a bit. More B&Bs instead of hotels and second class on the trains instead of first class.

As a result, I spend less for two weeks than I did on my first visit, even with the worse exchange rate. I enjoy my visits as much, or even more than the first.

__________________
"I'll say I can't tell you when, But if my spirit is strong, I know it can't be long, No questions I'm not alone, Somehow I'll find my way home" Rod

Abysmal figure for this winter in lower altitude ski resorts, affecting so many businesses and people, not just the hotels and restos, but ski shops, hire shops, ski instructors and guides, boutiques, etc.
I always find it amazing that on average Swiss hotels are much cheaper than in the UK.

Good ol' swissinfo somewhat missing the point again!

What the report actually says is...

"The TTCI aims to measure the factors and policies that make it attractive to develop the T&T sector in different countries."

i.e. they're not saying that CH is the most competitive country in terms of tourism, rather that it's the best for the development of tourism.

A subtle but, nevertheless, highly significant difference.

A hotel owner in Zurich recently forecast that many hotels in the countryside will have closed down at the end of the year. He also stated that not the quality of hotels was the deciding point but most of all the location. Why ? Because tourists are ready to pay more if the location is ideal or at least good.

This may very well be the case, but the report and the Opening Post do not have anything of that kind :
Switzerland has been ranked first for the second year running on the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report.

“Switzerland is not only an attractive tourism destination but is also an important business travel hub, with many international fairs and exhibitions held in the country each year,” the WEF report said.

The report measured the competitiveness in the travel and tourism sector of 139 countries by examining indictors such as regulations and the business environment, human, cultural and natural resources, and safety and security.

Switzerland ranked in the top five for protection of property rights, transparency in government policy making, and stringency of environmental regulation and enforcement.


Nothing, absolutely nothing about "" factors and policies that make it attractive to develop the T&T sector in different countries."" nothing at all. The report cited however also refers to negative points like the prices, not least in reference to the still heavily overvalued Swiss Frank. Socially disastrous is the fact that the hotellery in places like Schaffhausen, Zurich, Lucerne, Berne, Basel, Lausanne and Geneva is booming and in more rural aereas is suffering. So that even more people from the "outback" will try to find lodgings and work in the urban aereas, driving up the local prices and increase the traffic problems.

AND most of all, never believe such statistics, unless you have forged them yourself ! Everything depends on the criteria used, the emphasis applied and the preferences of the "experts" !

Try again: The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2011; Executive Summary; Page xiv; First Sentence


In case that's too challenging, I'll read it out for you. But more s-l-o-o-o-o-o-w-l-y this time.

"The. TTCI. aims. to. measure. the. factors. and. policies. that. make. it. attractive. to. develop. the. T. &. T. sector. in. different. countries.""

Let me know if you need a Braille version



"Dminus, sloppy and lazy - Wollishofener must learn to c-o-n-c-e-n-t-r-a-t-e, or at least go to Specsavers."
.

A) This was neither in the Swiss.....report nor in the Opening Post, AND more important, the text in you links shows THIS

Switzerland is a country rich in cultural and natural
resources, including an impressive number of World
Heritage cultural and natural sites for a country of its
size. A large percentage of the country’s land area is protected
and the natural environment is assessed as being
among the most pristine in the world (ranked 5th). This
natural heritage is buttressed by a strong national focus
on environmental sustainability: Switzerland is ranked
2nd overall on this pillar, based on strong and wellenforced
environmental legislation and with a particular
focus on developing the T&T sector sustainably.
Switzerland is not only an attractive leisure tourism
destination but is also an important business travel hub,
with many international fairs and exhibitions held in
the country each year. Staffing of the industry is facilitated
by the availability of qualified labor to work in
Travel & Tourism (ranked 2nd), perhaps not surprising
in a country with many of the best hotel management
schools. Added to these strengths is Switzerland’s excellent
ground transport infrastructure (ranked 5th), with
top-quality roads and railroads and an excellent domestic
transport network. Also well assessed is the specific
tourism infrastructure (ranked 8th), with readily available
hotel rooms and automated teller machines (ATMs) for
cash withdrawals. Such high-quality infrastructure makes
a tourist’s stay in the country easy and comfortable, an
experience that is reinforced by the high level of general
safety and security (ranked 2nd, just behind Finland).


First, you refer to something NOT in the quoted texts and so not on-topic and Second, you ignore texts vital to exactly the report you refer to
No Sir, this is Voodoo argumentation

Very good - you've finally found the right page

Now just push through, push through, don't quit on us! Breathe! Breathe! Another deep breath! Now, quick, read the FIRST SENTENCE on that page, as previously instructed. Hint: It's the one that says...

"The TTCI aims to measure the factors and policies that make it attractive to develop the T&T sector in different countries."

Wha'eva

I ought to groan you just for using this word, sooooooo teenage girly

binni bovvered? binni bovvered? schau mir ins gesicht! isch min gsicht bovvered?

But exactly THIS single sentence did neither appear in the press report nor in the opening post, BECAUSE the journalists apparently regarded it as IRRELEVANT, as it just is a single phrase embedded in heaps of stuff.

If we take that phrase under examination, it is a box full with worms.
Why ? Because there are side -questions resulting :

- attractive TO WHOM ?
- is anybody interested in that kind of question ?
- is there a country where developing the T&T sector is not attractive ?

IF this really was the question of the study, both the question and the study are complete and absolute rubbish, as completely meaningless