01/08/09, 02:07:42 UTC

  e-mail this article

Montreux attracts wealthy Middle-Eastern tourists

24heures.ch

After Geneva, the city is the most popular holiday venue for Middle-Eastern tourists looking for peace and shops selling luxurious goods.

The four and five stars hotels of Montreux, east of Lausanne, are currently filled with tourists from the Middle-East, ready to spend a lot of money shopping. The troubled political situation in Lebanon is one reason given to explain the growing number of these wealthy tourists in the Lake Geneva region. “After Geneva, Montreux is their favorite holiday venue. They stay on average one week, which is more than the usual two or three day-breaks of other tourists,” says Marc Sheurer, Montreux-Vevey tourism office’s marketing manager.

Last year, 3,200 holiday-makers from South Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman visited the city of the Riviera region. This year, the tourism office has registered a 15 percent rise.

The arrival of the Middle-Eastern tourists, known to spend lavishly, is a good deal for local shopkeepers and hotel managers. “They can come for one night and, if they like the place, they may decide to stay up to three weeks. They are the tourists who spend the most, ahead of Chinese and Russians,” says Sheurer. “One of their favorite pastimes is shopping.”

The high number of international boarding schools in the Riviera region also attracts these tourists visiting their children over the summer holiday. Five star hotels do their best to accommodate these wealthy customers. The Montreux Palace hotel employs 10 Arabic-speaking staff, while the restaurant’s menu clearly indicates if dishes contain pork or alcohol. The hotel also adapts the opening hours of its wellness center and offers separate access for men and women. “Middle-Eastern tourists have taken 72 percent of the hotel’s capacity. That is two times more than last year,” says Gisèle Sommer, Montreux Palace Hotel’s public relations officer.

 Printable Version  | published Aug 16, 2007