FOREIGN TOURISTS FEEL THE LEAST WELCOMED IN SWITZERLAND?

According to the rankings of the holiday portal Holido, Switzerland ranks last among the 25 most popular holiday countries in Europe in terms of hospitality. There are prejudices against the Swiss, including that they are not the nicest people in the world. Although prejudices are often unfounded, there may be some truth in this cliché.

Each country in the ranking was assessed on seven criteria: number of tourist visits, English language skills, family friendliness, availability, quality of taxi services, tourist attractions and number of pickpockets.

Despite the low level of English language, Spain has the best overall rating as the friendliest country in Europe, attracting around 72 million foreign tourists every year. The ranking shows that Spain excels in taxi service and especially in friendly and helpful residents.

Swiss support leaves much to be desired.

Above all, support from the Swiss is lacking. Only 40% of respondents have helped a foreigner in the past year. Moreover, according to the study, the Swiss taxi service is the worst of all the countries evaluated. According to Hollido, the Swiss also have a poor knowledge of English.

However, Switzerland scores points in one category: family-friendly accommodations. Compared to the neighboring German-speaking countries Germany and Austria, foreign tourists with children are more welcome here.

However, the winner in the ‘family’ category is Italy. Experts say families here enjoy a ‘warm and welcoming environment’, which translates into ‘child-friendly facilities, cultural activities and a relaxed attitude for the little ones’.

Albania has the fewest pockets.

Pickpocketing is a serious problem that can ruin a vacation. When traveling to Sweden, take extra care to keep your luggage safe as the country has one of the highest pickpocket rates in the world. According to police statistics, there were about 2,000 pickpockets per 100,000 inhabitants in Sweden last year. However, if you visit Albania, the Czech Republic or Turkey you may feel a little more relaxed as these countries have the lowest number of pickpockets, with around 250 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Germany and Austria are in a better position.

Germany (9th place) and Austria (8th place) score significantly higher than Switzerland. In Austria, for example, the level of English language seems to be high and taxi drivers are very friendly. Meanwhile, France has been praised for its level of English proficiency, despite ranking twelfth.

A survey among Swiss guests shows a different result.

A representative of Switzerland Tourism disagreed with the previous statement and cited his own data. The Tourismus Monitor Schweiz, the largest survey of Swiss tourist visitors, shows that in 2017 more than 80% of respondents worldwide were very satisfied with hospitality in Switzerland. . 81.5% of Swiss visitors said they were satisfied with the hospitality in their country, while 84.9% of foreign tourists were satisfied.