Basel hotel arrivals and overnight stays fell 4% and 6% year-on-year.

May 14, 2026

In April 2026, Basel experienced a decline in tourism compared to the previous year, with arrivals dropping 4% and overnight stays falling 6%. The domestic market remained the largest contributor, accounting for nearly 40% of overnight stays, while hotel occupancy rates saw a slight increase to 57.8%.

In April 2026, Basel recorded 61,619 arrivals and 116,148 overnight stays, a decrease from the previous year when arrivals were 64,214 and overnight stays were 123,551. This represents a drop of roughly 4% in arrivals and 6% in overnight stays compared to April 2025. The number of available rooms also fell to 137,640 from 141,744, while occupied rooms decreased slightly to 79,615 from 80,909. The average stay duration remained stable at 1.9 nights.

The domestic market was the largest contributor, with Swiss visitors accounting for 39.8% of all overnight stays, followed by Germany at 15.3% and the United States at 8.8%. The share of domestic stays is notably high, suggesting a strong reliance on local tourism during this period. The decline in international arrivals may reflect broader travel trends or specific factors affecting inbound tourism to Basel in April 2026.

Hotel occupancy rates, calculated as occupied rooms divided by available rooms, stood at approximately 57.8% for April 2026, down from 57.1% in April 2025. This slight increase in occupancy despite fewer total arrivals indicates that hotels may have reduced capacity or that visitors stayed in fewer but more fully utilized properties. Without data broken down by hotel category, it is not possible to assess differences between luxury, mid-range, or budget segments.

The data does not explicitly indicate seasonal effects or special events, but the decline in arrivals and overnight stays compared to the previous year suggests that April 2026 was a weaker month for tourism in Basel. The consistent average stay duration implies that visitor behavior regarding length of trip has not changed significantly.


Table 1: Overnight Stays by Country of Origin in April 2026
Country of Origin Arrivals Overnight Stays Share of Total (%)
Schweiz 27,043 46,250 39.8 %
Deutschland 9,683 17,762 15.3 %
Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika 4,391 10,233 8.8 %
Grossbritannien 2,320 4,580 3.9 %
Frankreich 2,529 4,216 3.6 %
Other 15,653 33,107 28.5 %
Total 61,619 116,148 100.0 %


Table 2: Overnight Arrivals and Overnight Stays in April 2026
Category Arrivals Overnight Stays Share of Total (%)
4- und 5-Stern 24,991 50,615 43.6 %
3-Stern 17,854 32,417 27.9 %
Keine Kategorie 11,055 20,207 17.4 %
1- und 2-Stern 7,719 12,909 11.1 %
Total 61,619 116,148 100.0 %


Table 3: Arrivals and Overnight Stays in April by Year
Year Arrivals Overnight Stays Avg Daily Overnight Stays Occupancy Rate (%)
2026 61,619 116,148 3,871.6 57.8 %
2025 64,214 123,551 4,118.4 57.1 %
2024 63,714 112,013 3,733.8 53.3 %
2023 64,068 119,661 3,988.7 53.1 %

Figure 1: Overnight Stays by Origin of Visitors in the last 24 Months

Data source: Monatliche Ankünfte und Logiernächte, Tägliche Ankünfte und Logiernächte nach Herkunftsland, Tägliche Ankünfte, Logiernächte, Zimmer nach Hotelkategorie
Additional resources: Tourismusstatistik 2024

🤖 This text was generated with the assistance of AI. All quantitative statements are derived directly from the dataset listed under Data Source.