Switzerland expects more Chinese visitors

The theme of "Switzerland, a Land of Water" has been selected by Switzerland Tourism for attracting travelers from around the world in 2012, which was announced by Simon Bosshart, Asia-Pacific director at Switzerland Tourism, at a press conference in Beijing on Feb 23.

"The new theme this year provides better opportunities for Chinese visitors to get to know more about tourist programs related with water in Switzerland," said Bosshart.

Bosshart also said that tourists can easily touch the water in Switzerland, a country full of rivers and lakes. It is home to more than 7,000 lakes, 122 glaciers and the world's biggest health resort with mineral water.

"We have great confidence in the Chinese tourist market. It can be estimated that the number of Chinese travelers is about to increase around 20 percent this year," added Bosshart.

Moreover, Zhang Li, senior sales of Swiss International Airlines Ltd, also announced that a direct flight route between Beijing and Zurich started on Feb 12, which is expected to boost travel and business relations between China and Switzerland. It was the company's third non-stop flight to China, after the Hong Kong-Zurich and Shanghai-Zurich routes. The new direct flight route is estimated to bring about a 7 to 10 percent jump in the number of tourists headed to Switzerland.

Switzerland has become one of most popular destinations among Chinese tourists. China ranked ninth in the top 10 overseas tourist market for that country, with 677,220 tourist overnight stays in 2011, increasing about 41.8 percent from the previous year.