Switzerland’s camping sector is reporting strong results for the 2026 season, with favorable weather contributing to higher bookings and overnight stays at Swiss Touring Club (TCS) campgrounds.
The TCS said Wednesday that, as of the end of September, bookings had surpassed levels recorded in 2021, previously the organization’s record year. The organization expects more than one million overnight stays across its campgrounds for the second time since the pandemic year.
According to Blue News, overall overnight stays increased 4.8% compared with the previous year, while some individual locations recorded increases of up to 30%. The organization attributed much of the growth to weather conditions throughout the 2026 camping season.
The season began strongly in the spring, with favorable weather around the holiday period supporting early demand. TCS said a prolonged period of good weather continued through the summer and into a warm, sunny fall, giving travelers greater confidence when making camping plans and supporting bookings.
Mountain destinations were among those that benefited from the conditions. TCS specifically identified its campgrounds in Scuol and Flims in the canton of Graubünden, Olivone in Ticino, and Interlaken in the canton of Bern as locations that benefited from the hot summer temperatures.
Domestic travelers remained the largest customer group at TCS campgrounds, accounting for 63% of guests. Visitors from Germany, the Netherlands, and France followed as the next largest international markets.
The performance also points to the importance of weather and season length in campground demand. For operators, the results suggest that extended periods of favorable conditions can support both advance bookings and overall occupancy, while destinations with access to mountain and outdoor recreation may benefit from strong summer demand. However, weather-driven performance can also make year-to-year comparisons difficult, particularly for businesses that rely heavily on seasonal operations.
The TCS will continue operating five campgrounds through the winter after the main season ends in October. The sites in Flims, Lugano-Muzzano, Olivone, Sion, and Solothurn are scheduled to remain open. The Samedan campground in Graubünden will instead close for renovation work.
The broader Swiss camping market is also showing signs of growth. Fabienne Huber, director of the Swiss Camping Association (Swisscamps), said she expects an increase compared with the previous year based on figures from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Official full-year FSO figures for 2026 will not be available until the end of July 2027.
Available data already shows increases during the first half of 2026. In the first quarter, visitor numbers increased 2.9%, while overnight stays rose 1.1%. During the second quarter, visitors again increased 2.9%, while overnight stays grew 4.7%.
Between April and June, Swiss campgrounds recorded 1,560,402 overnight stays from 611,401 guests. The figures provide an indication that the stronger performance reported by TCS is occurring alongside broader growth in the national camping market.
For campground and outdoor hospitality operators, the combination of higher overnight stays, strong domestic demand, and continued interest from neighboring European markets provides a useful indicator of current travel patterns in Switzerland. The planned winter operations at several TCS locations also demonstrate how extending the operating season can provide an opportunity to capture demand beyond the traditional summer camping period.
