TORONTO — Canadian arrivals and overnights to Switzerland were up in 2017, making for another record year, according to the latest tourism data from the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics.

The new numbers show an 11.2% increase in Canadian arrivals to Switzerland in 2017, for a total of 115,180.

The number of overnight stays was 247,764, an increase of 9.1% compared to 2016. Overnights in Swiss hotels and youth hostels, vacation homes, other kinds of accommodation and visits with friends and family are not included.

The most popular destinations were the Zurich region with 68,837 overnights, followed by Geneva region with 48,457 and the Valais region with 23,219.

With 5,782 more overnights in 2017, the Zurich region recorded the biggest growth in Canadian visits.

“We are committed to the Canadian market and pleased to see a new record with the best overnight results in 25 years,” says Pascal Prinz, Director Canada, Switzerland Tourism.

“Over the last 18 months, we have introduced a new travel agent training program, published our first winter sales manual, increased our presence at travel trade conferences, and hired an additional sales and marketing person for our office in New York, with a focus on the Swiss Travel System, the transportation network of Switzerland.

“This increased investment in serving and collaborating with the travel trade in North America is paying off.”