Swiss tourism team to visit India

Chennai: With the United Nations declaring Year 2002 as the International Year of Mountains, the Swiss tourism industry is all set to woo Indians to their scenic destinations.

The industry has sent a team on a 10-day trip to six Indian cities Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Mumbai to meet travel agents and others connected with the tourism industry to promote Switzerland as the natural destination for international travellers.

The team, while highlighting the new tourist attractions in their country, will also hold workshops for tour operators based in Mumbai and Delhi.

In the recent years the number of Indians flying to Switzerland has increased. During 2001 the number of overnights (the nights spent in Swiss) by Indians was 1.84 lakh as against 1.78 lakh overnights registered in 2000. According to the team, the average stay by Indians in Swiss is 2.5 nights.

Some of the tourist attractions for the year are: Swiss National Exhibition (May-October), Polo World on Snow at St Moritz Mountains, Jazz Festival and the Locarno International Film Festival.

Switzerland is a country of mountains with 48 peaks, soaring over 4,000 metres. Further, the distance between two mountains is short and the travel between them is eased by the countrys mountain-railway network. Swiss tourism is promoting mountains like Titlis, Pilatus and Schilthorn, where revolving restaurants are located at the top.