Because of the pandemic, domestic tourists have rediscovered Ticino. So in the southern canton they are hoping for a habituation effect this season. But the Ukraine war also influenced travel behavior.
The old Roman bridge «Ponte di Salti» near Lavertezzo.
The tourist season in Ticino starts just when the magnolias are already in bloom. After all, the camellias still shine in the most beautiful colors, and German-Swiss tourists like to be beguiled by them. They are already flocking to the southern canton in significant numbers, giving the people of Ticino hope for a good season.
“We expect a strong influx of domestic tourists this year as well,” says Angelo Trotta, director of Ticino Turismo. Already at the beginning of the season he noticed a booking rate of about 80 percent. According to many Ticino hoteliers, many rooms have already been reserved for weeks for the summer.
10 to 15 percent more overnight stays than expected in 2019
Compared to the pre-pandemic summer season of 2019, Director Trotta expects 10 to 15 percent more overnight stays this year. That is more than already, but significantly less than in the record year 2021. While the Swiss average for hotel bookings was a 25 percent drop, Ticino recorded growth of 27 percent compared to 2019. Ticino was last able to register such good figures more than twenty years ago.
The strongest group of domestic guests last year were the German-speaking Swiss, who have been the main clientele in Ticino for many years. Because of the pandemic, her desire to travel abroad was low. However, one also heard more French than before: the Romands had discovered Ticino – as had young people from all parts of the country. Since there are already many bookings for this year’s season, people in the southern canton are hoping for a habitual effect.
Wanderlust or fear of traveling abroad?
According to Trotta, visitors to Ticino are looking for security, closeness to nature and well-being. A trend that was already noticeable before 2020, but which was significantly intensified by the corona virus. Trotta assumes that this trend will continue.
Because in addition to the habit effect and the different measures in European travel countries, another factor plays into the hands of Ticino tourism, at least as far as the German-speaking Swiss are concerned. Fear of the proximity to the Ukraine war and fear of dangerous situations could make Ticino the most popular southern destination this season. The reawakened wanderlust is counteracted by the uncertainty caused by the war, says Lorenzo Pianezzi, President of Hotelleriesuisse Ticino.
From Pianezzi’s point of view, the canton has the potential to attract a large number of German-speaking Swiss, regardless of these circumstances. Because Swiss-German tourists are still likely to spend their summer holidays abroad more often than during the pandemic, it is still important that Ticino has good tourist offers all year round.
The President of Hotelleriesuisse Ticino calls for more original offers
According to Pianezzi, gastronomic and oenological experiences are currently having a strong impact on the German-speaking Swiss. Other so-called “packages”, on the other hand, are less attractive because tourists like to pick out individual offers. The President of Hotelleriesuisse Ticino is therefore calling for more original offers. This is, he says, a new tourism trend: you only visit individual destinations if you feel attracted to something special in advance; be it in connection with art, events, congresses or sport.
Ticino’s tourism professionals therefore invest a lot, especially when it comes to sporting activities. The outdoor infrastructure in the areas of mountain biking and hiking is constantly being expanded. At the same time, digitization is being pushed further. The aim is to present the various tourist offers on a central internet platform and to combine them with online services.
According to Director Trotta, a prime example of this type of networking is the “Ticino Ticket”, which is now also available as a smartphone app. All guests who stay overnight in Ticino receive a ticket that allows free travel on public transport and discounted access to certain leisure facilities. Last year the “Ticino Ticket” was issued 780,000 times. 200,000 entries were counted. In Ticino, they hope that the 2022 season can keep up.