Nation's emphasis on winter sports has increased travel to Switzerland

A soaring number of Chinese tourists have shown strong interest in traveling abroad for the top-notch snow venues, as 18 percent of surveyed Chinese tourists said they've traveled to another country just for the outdoor fun. And Switzerland, home to every skiers' dream - Swiss Alps, not surprisingly, has become among the top three most popular destinations for Chinese tourists. "With the Beijing Winter Olympics coming in 2022, the interest in winter sports is clearly rising in China," said Simon Bosshart, a director at Switzerland Tourism whose department includes travel from China. "We are proud to say that our resorts are ready to welcome Chinese guests in an appropriate manner. For example, we have 19 ski resorts offering one-day ski experiences."

Fredi Michel, business unit manager for Davos Klosters Tourism, which undertakes the management of the tourism organization in the town of Davos, located in the Swiss Alps, said China has become its fastest growing tourism market. Chinese tourism has grown at a pace of 30 percent annually over the past five years, he said.

He added that the town has been in contact with Chongli district of Zhangjiakou for cooperation in snow sport training and tourism promotion.

In addition to winter sports, other outdoor travel activities in Switzerland are also becoming more popular in China, including trekking in mountain trail. Regazzoni said more Chinese tourists have participated in the outdoor activities to discover the beauty of nature in Switzerland. During a recent press meeting hosted by Switzerland Tourism in Beijing in April, outdoor trail trekking was featured as the theme of summer.