Indische Touristen in der Schweiz

Abstract Due to increased economic growth in the last decade more and more Indians can afford to travel abroad and figures show that many of them do so. The statistics also indicate that Switzerland is very popular as a holiday destination for Indian tourists. Regarding arrivals, Switzerland ranks second in Europe and among the top ten destinations worldwide - despite a negligible VRF (visiting relatives and friends) segment and the great geographical distance. There are two main reasons for this astonishing position: Firstly, Switzerland is well known in India - thanks to a traditional positive image and the film industry - and secondly, tourist infrastructure is excellent. The majority of Indian tourists are on a European package tour and stay in Switzerland for only 3 to 4 days. Their visit concentrates primarily on excursions to snow covered mountain peaks and shopping. Therefore the greatest beneficiaries of Indian tourism in Switzerland
are the retail trade, the mountain cablecars and hoteliers in the group travel
business.