General Views - 12th Zurich Film Festival (Photo : Getty Images)
More Chinese tourists are traveling to Switzerland and there was an increased number of Swiss tourists to China as bilateral relations between the two countries improve.
The Swiss government reported that in 2015, there was a 33 percent increase in the number of hotel bookings by Chinese tourists. The trend has been on the rise in the past 10 years.
Simon Bosshart, an official from Switzerland's tourism office, said, "With the Beijing Olympics in 2022, the interest in winter sports is clearly rising in China.
"We are proud to say that our resorts are more and more ready to welcome Chinese guests in an appropriate manner. For example, we have 19 ski resorts which offer one-day ski experiences out of this winter."
Ren Zhicheng, a Chinese national who currently studies in France, went to get a Swiss vacation. He said, "We first went to Montreux, then Lausanne and now Geneva, so from small to large cities. We have taken our time and made interesting discoveries. The atmosphere in Switzerland is more relaxed and serene."
Bosshart also noted that apart from tourism, many people deepen their understanding of the cultures of China and Switzerland.
"With Chinese guests traveling slower and more individually, they remain with the time to get in touch with the locals. We are strongly convinced of the role that tourism plays in this people-to-people exchange," he said.
Aside from frequent tourist visits, the two countries cooperate in endeavors for environment protection and to stop climate change.
According to the website of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, "Switzerland and China are working together in the area of the environment and climate change, in particular in the management of environmental risks, climate adaptation strategies, the promotion of environmental technologies, and advice on climate legislation."
