High costs Germans want to spend less during their winter vacation in Switzerland
The German economy is in a permanent crisis. A survey suggests that insecure consumers are also cutting back on winter vacations. Swiss tourist destinations could feel the pinch.
17.12.2025, 06:05
17.12.2025, 06:54
SDA
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- The economic crisis and high costs are affecting Germans' plans for the winter.
- Swiss tourist destinations could feel the pinch.
- Fifteen percent of Germans surveyed want to cut back on either vacation plans or leisure activities during the cold season, according to a new survey.
- Many winter sports enthusiasts have the impression that the ski pass has become a luxury item.
The economic crisis and high costs are having an impact on Germans' plans for the winter. Swiss tourist destinations could be feeling the effects of this restraint.
Fifteen percent of Germans surveyed want to cut back on either vacation plans or leisure activities during the cold season, according to a survey conducted by the polling institute Yougov for the German Press Agency. Just under a quarter want to reduce their spending on restaurants. A slight majority of 51% do not want to cut back on leisure spending in winter.
The main winter season in the Alps begins this pre-Christmas weekend. Yougov surveyed 2101 adults from December 8 to 10; the survey was representative. It is clear that winter is less important for a large majority compared to the main summer travel season anyway: 16% have planned winter vacations, 2% did not know and 81% answered "no".
Slump in consumption in Germany may slow down Alpine tourism
If Germans make savings, this can also have a significant impact on neighboring countries: Guests from Germany - among whom Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are strongly represented - make up the largest group of winter tourists in both Switzerland and Austria.
According to official statistics, almost half of hotel guests in Austria came from Germany last winter season, while in Switzerland a good twelve percent still came from Germany. Nevertheless, the Alpine winter holiday regions in all three countries are optimistic about the season. The number of guests rose last year.
Strikingly, Switzerland, the most expensive vacation destination, even set a new record of 18.5 million overnight stays in winter 2024/25 with almost half a million additional overnight stays - an increase of 2.8%. Winter tourism in Austria is an even more important economic factor, with 72 million overnight stays last season, an increase of 1.6 percent. German guests can literally experience this for themselves: anyone traveling to Austria by car on a winter vacation weekend is generally stuck in traffic jams, whereas traffic is usually more relaxed in Switzerland.
Guests spend less
Despite all the negative circumstances and winters with little snow, there has been no sign of a decline in Alpine winter tourism so far. The Swiss record shows that prices alone are not the decisive factor.
"The shaky economic situation and higher prices are dampening demand, but they are only deterring a few people from traveling," says economist Oliver Fritz from the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (Wifo) in Vienna. "However, guests are less willing to spend, so they may be traveling for a shorter period of time, choosing cheaper accommodation and foregoing lunch in the ski hut."
Buying a ski pass causes pain
Many leisure winter sports enthusiasts have the impression that the ski pass has become a luxury item. In Austria's largest and oldest ski region on the Arlberg, a day ticket costs 81.50 euros in the high season, in Arosa-Lenzerheide in Switzerland 77 francs and in Garmisch-Partenkirchen 69 euros.
Bavaria's Alpine ski regions are characterized by the fact that they are somewhat cheaper than their big competitors in Tyrol, Salzburg and Vorarlberg, but are also much smaller. On the Arlberg, guests can choose from 300 kilometers of slopes, in Garmisch there are only 60, but in most Bavarian ski resorts, day guests dominate anyway.
In Germany and Austria, the rise in prices in the hotel and restaurant industry has even outstripped general inflation in recent years. In addition, real incomes in Germany fell between 2019 and 2024, according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office.
In the longer term, however, skiing may not have become that much more expensive, at least for Austrians. Last year, Viennese economic researchers compared the development of real income and ski holiday costs. "The comparison suggests that skiing vacations are actually more affordable today than they were 20 years ago, at least for Austrians," says economist Fritz.
