With the weather heating up and the school holidays beckoning, many families and individuals in Switzerland will be thinking about taking some time off to go on holiday. Now, a new survey carried out by Europ Assistance has revealed that when it comes to vacations, people in the alpine nation are the most willing to splash the cash.

People in Switzerland are the biggest holiday spenders in Europe

According to the survey of 15 nations, reported in Blick, households in Switzerland plan to spend an average of 3.443 francs on holidays in 2023. This is by far the highest out of all the countries surveyed and far higher than the European average of 1.885 francs. 

Interestingly, households in DACH countries (Switzerland, Germany and Austria) were the highest vacation spenders in Europe, with German families prepared to spend an average of 2.363 euros on a trip abroad while Austrian households were willing to fork out 2.360 euros.

Most people in Switzerland crave trips abroad

Despite the relative abundance of things to do in Switzerland, especially during the summer, only 22 percent of people in the alpine nation said they wanted to holiday solely in Swiss cities and cantons - the lowest percentage recorded by any country in the survey. This is in stark contrast to France, where a whopping 60 percent of respondents said they will stay put and sun themselves in familiar surroundings.

It’s clear, therefore, that a visit to the airport is part and parcel of a Swiss holiday, with 76 percent of households saying a trip abroad is what they want. According to Blick, much of this demand has been caused by the end of the COVID pandemic - with restrictions lifted around the world, many want to make up for lost time and book their dream vacation overseas.

Cost of holidays rise by 10 percent

Sadly, at the same time, this demand - coupled with inflation - is driving up the cost of going abroad. A spokesperson for Swiss travel agency Kuoni told Blick that they have seen average holiday prices rise by 10 percent compared to 2019, with the highest price rises recorded for trips to the United States of America and Canada.

Those looking for a bargain who are yet to book their summer vacation - two in three people in April, according to a survey by CH Media - will find themselves out of luck, with SWISS recently admitting that low-cost travel may become a thing of the past. “The heyday of last-minute deals is over”, travel expert Christoph Heinzmann told Blick.