“We feel that the Swiss need and want to leave. » According to Nathalie Chuat, president of the Groupement des Agences de Voyages Neuchâteloises et de l’Arc Jurassien (GAVNAJ), the Swiss traveled a lot in 2024. This is a “return to normal” after the reduction in getaways during Covid years. For long trips, the Swiss mainly flew to Asia, with Thailand in the lead, as well as to the United States and Canada. Tanzania has also been in high demand by GAVNAJ clients. “For these long-haul flights, travelers leave for two weeks in any case,” explains Nathalie Chuat. And to add that three-week trips are becoming increasingly rare. Regarding week-long vacations, the Swiss mainly stay in Europe. Beach holidays on the shores of the Mediterranean are still favored with destinations like Greece, Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey.
Agencies becoming more and more popular
“People have really gotten back into the habit of traveling,” explains Nathalie Chuat. Travel again, but in a slightly different way: by turning more and more to travel agencies. “People have realized that if they have problems there is always someone who will take care of their file. It’s reassuring for them,” says the president. Customers also come with more questions:
The trend is expected to continue in 2025. “In any case, there is demand. For the moment, things are going well,” explains the president. However, it is still too early to know if this will continue throughout the year. “In any case, that’s what we want. »
Interest in sustained train
Swiss travelers always want to choose the train when the travel distance allows it. “There is always this desire for European destinations, especially cities,” agrees Nathalie Chuat. But despite the desire, customers are often put off by the price and travel time. “The offers are not very interesting for travelers,” she concludes.
Customers therefore often resort to flying out of spite, even for short distances.
Agencies dependent on news
It is still difficult to say which destination travelers will turn to for 2025. “Everything still depends on world news for this year,” explains the president of GAVNAJ. The stability of certain areas is not guaranteed. The election of Donald Trump in the United States also caused a reaction among customers. “In 2024, some travelers wanted to go to the USA in 2024, because they did not want to wait until 2025 in case Trump was elected,” explains Nathalie Chuat.
The abandonment of the Hotelplan agency by Migros also worries travel sellers, even if customers do not seem to attach particular importance to it. “As someone who sells Hotelplan quite a bit, I haven’t had a single comment on this subject from customers,” explains Nathalie Chuat. For the moment, no leads on a potential buyer have been communicated by Migros. “We were told we would know by the end of the year, but still nothing. We would still like to know, it’s true that it’s getting a little heavy,” says the president. The risk is that Hotelplan will be bought by a foreign tour operator already well established in the market. “It would reduce competition and prices would become less attractive for our customers,” explains Nathalie Chuat.
Even if the situation remains uncertain for 2025, Nathalie Chuat recommends a few destinations. “In the summer, Greece is very nice, because this country combines seaside resorts, visits and gastronomy. » And to add that to really get away from it all, the Maghreb countries are a good plan for tourists. /crb
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