With extensive plans to promote Switzerland as a leisure and business destination for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) residents, Switzerland Tourism has opened its first office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to oversee the entire Gulf region.
“The GCC region is a very important market for us - reflected in the high number of GCC residents that travel to Switzerland. For 2001, we welcomed 217,000 Gulf residents – an increase of 15 percent from the year before,” said CEO and President of Switzerland Tourism, Jürg Schmid at a press conference. “By the year end, we're expecting 300,000 overnight visitors from the Gulf to travel to Switzerland, and for 2003 we're expecting this number to increase further,” he added.
The most popular destinations among Arab travelers are Geneva with 50 percent choosing the lakeside city, followed by Zurich at 17 percent. The average length of stay is 4.5 days, while daily expenditure equates to $300.
Switzerland Tourism, the country's official marketing organization, has opened its office at the Dubai headquarters of SWISS International Air Lines, and will offer tour operators and travel agents promotional and support services for Arab travelers, and the region's large expatriate community. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
