Tourists from South India to Switzerland on the rise: official

: The number of tourists from South India visiting Switzerland witnessed a substantial increase in 2018, a top official of Switzerland Tourism India said Thursday.

Switzerland has become an ideal travel destination because of the diversity in options it offers. It is a 365-day destination that is ready for visitors any time of the year, a statement quoted deputy director of Switzerland Tourism India Ritu Sharma as saying.

Reeling out statistics, she said the number of overnight stays by Indian tourists in Switzerland had gone up by 24.7 per cent in 2018.

"We are also up by 10 per cent in hotel overnights in the period January-October in 2018 as compared to the same period the previous year," she said in the statement here.

She said the objectives for the Switzerland Tourism was to make it an all-round destination, to promote winter and autumn as seasons as well as introduce newer destinations like St Moritz, Lake Geneva region.

The increase in the number of Indian tourists opting to stay overnights was also attributed to the campaign involving Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh who was roped in as the brand ambassador for Switzerland Tourism, she said.

"We are happy to note that in the last few years, apart from metro cities, we have managed to penetrate the tier-II and III markets as well," she said.