A tourism delegation from the Swiss city of Lausanne has signed cooperation agreements with travel agencies in the UAE following seminars it held in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain to highlight tourism in Switzerland.

“We are in the process of signing agreements with Dnata and other key travel agencies in the country to attract more visitors to Switzerland during summer and the holiday season,” said Walter Loser, an adviser at Lausanne tourism authority.

The UAE has the second largest number of Middle East tourists to Switzerland after Saudi Arabia, followed by Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, Loser said.

The number of visitors to Switzerland from the GCC countries surged by 23 per cent in 2014 and nearly 12 per cent of them were from the UAE, he said.

The Swiss delegation met travel agents in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain and showcased the developments in its tourism sector, adding that the Lausanne tourism authority is seeking to develop business, education and health care tourism in the city.

Lausanne currently has 67 hotels comprising nearly 3,900 rooms with occupancy rates remaining as high as 86 per cent. In addition, new hotels would be opened in the city shortly, including the five-star Royal Savoy in June.

Furthermore, Lausanne tourism authority will take part in the Arab Travel Market conference due to be held in Dubai in May in a bid to promote tourism further. – TradeArabia News Service