Tourism is an important source of income. Visitors from abroad spent 13.1 billion francs in Switzerland in 2004, and domestic tourists around 9.7 billion.

Figures released by the World Trade Organisation ranked Switzerland 15th among world destinations for tourism earnings in 2005, and 14th for the number of visitors, which was estimated at 10.5 million.

Visitors from abroad accounted for about three per cent of Swiss GDP in 2004. Tourism is the third most important source of export revenue, after the metal and machine industry and the chemical industry.

Almost one twelfth of Switzerland's workforce is employed directly or indirectly in tourism. The proportion is much higher in mountain regions than in the cities.

In 2007 the World Economic Forum found that Switzerland had the most competitive travel and tourism sector in the world.

The Swiss themselves also like travelling, with France the most popular destination for short trips, and Italy favoured for longer ones, according to 2003 figures.