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Keystone
Prices for leisure activities in Switzerland are rising again – package tours, hotels and travel-related services in particular became more expensive in June. Particularly affected: older single-person households.
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- Leisure goods are becoming more expensive. Individual areas such as package tours and hotels became significantly more expensive due to staff shortages and high demand.
- Despite falling flight prices, the cost of package holidays rose by 4.4% month-on-month and by as much as 30% in a five-year comparison, mainly due to more expensive accommodation and staff shortages.
- Single-person households aged 65 and over are particularly affected by the rise in prices, while childless couples under 65 benefit in real terms from falling leisure prices.
Switzerland offers perfect excursion destinations and leisure fun almost all year round. The Swiss are particularly drawn to the outdoors in the warm summer months. But this is now more expensive than before.
In June 2025, prices for leisure goods in Switzerland fell by 0.9% compared to the same month last year. This is shown by the leisure price index of the online comparison service comparis.ch. The index shows how inflation has developed in the areas of leisure and culture as well as gastronomy and travel in Switzerland. In comparison, the broader national consumer price index (CPI) from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) shows an annual inflation rate of 0.1 percent.
Compared to May 2025, prices in the leisure index basket of goods have risen by 1.3% (CPI: plus 0.2%). In the previous month, the cost of leisure goods had fallen by 0.3% (CPI: up 0.1%).
Staff shortages as a price driver
Compared to the previous month, other services for individual transportation – including parking and other fees – (up 6.3%), television and audio/video equipment (up 4.7%), package tours (up 4.4%), para-hotel services (up 4.3%) and hotels (up 3%) rose the most. A five-year comparison shows that the costs for package tours have risen massively by 30% and hotels by 21%.
“This is not a short-term coronavirus catch-up effect: rising demand with a corresponding willingness to pay, higher personnel costs, staff shortages and rising energy prices have led to significant price increases,” says consumer finance expert Michael Kuhn. “There is a shortage of pilots, crew members, ground and service staff, cleaners, cooks, drivers and tour guides.”
Package tours cost more despite cheaper flights
It is worth taking a separate look: In the hotel industry, one of the main drivers in the short term was high seasonal demand. Over the last five years, this has had an impact on prices due to the shortage of capacity. Added to this are increased energy and personnel costs, higher purchase prices due to general inflation and expenditure on maintenance work.
Increased demand also had an impact on package tours, as did logistical bottlenecks, staff shortages and limited aircraft capacity in some cases. Air fares in June fell by just under 3% compared to May due to tough competition on popular routes and between low-cost airlines. However, in a five-year comparison, air fares rose by 65 percent.
“Even if airfares fall, package tours can become more expensive as they include the cost of accommodation, meals, transfers and more. In addition, airfares are dynamic and therefore created at short notice. Package tours, on the other hand, are often calculated and booked months in advance,” explains the Comparis expert.
Prices will probably continue to rise
“The upward trend for the hotel industry and package tours is likely to continue next year,” says the Comparis expert. “The growing demand, coupled with rising staff and high energy costs, will probably lead to more expensive accommodation costs. However, the increase will be dampened by competitive pressure and price-sensitive guests – the pressure on hotel margins is likely to remain.”
The higher accommodation costs will also influence the price trend for package tours: “Although pure flight prices could account for a slightly smaller proportion of package tours in future, rising hotel prices and high demand will result in more expensive vacations,” predicts Kuhn.
Highest inflation among single-person households aged 65 and over
Over the past 12 months, single-person households aged 65 and over have experienced the highest inflation. They are currently experiencing an inflation rate of 0.4 percent compared to the previous year. In June, life became even more expensive for them compared to the previous month, by 1.2%.
In purely mathematical terms, couples under the age of 65 without children feel the least in percentage terms. With an index level of 112.7, their perceived inflation in the last 12 months was minus 1.1% – measured in terms of their leisure spending opportunities, they have become richer in real terms.
Sports equipment and photo products became cheaper
Some products became cheaper in June. For example, consumers paid 2.7% less for air travel than in May. Photography, cinema and optical equipment also became cheaper, namely by 2.6 percent.
Prices for storage media and content (down 1.9%), sports and camping equipment (down 0.9%) and radio and television reception (down 0.5%) also fell.
