Swiss Tourism Flourishes Amid Women’s Soccer Euro 2025 Boom
Switzerland is riding a wave of enthusiasm as the women's soccer Euro 2025 tournament ignites a remarkable uptick in international visitors and spending. Data shared exclusively with CNBC by global payment leader Visa reveals a striking 12% increase in traveler arrivals during the tournament’s opening week, alongside a 27% surge in consumer spending across host cities and surrounding regions.
Visitor Influx Highlights Growing Global Appeal
The tournament has drawn soccer fans from across Europe and beyond, with arrivals soaring notably from key nations: Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands experienced a 25% hike, the U.K. followed with a 20% increase, while Italy and France visitors grew by 15% and 10%, respectively. This diversified influx underscores the expanding global interest in women's sports.
- Host cities benefiting: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, Sion, and Thun.
- Local economic surges: Bern’s restaurant revenue nearly doubled; Thun saw entertainment spending triple.
- Retail impact: Switzerland-wide uplift with 30% growth in goods spending.
Visa Europe’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kim Kadlec, emphasizes this ripple effect: "The Euro 2025 tournament isn’t just a sporting event—it's a catalyst that energizes consumer spending and positively impacts multiple industries in real time."
Women’s Soccer Surges From Grassroots to Global Stage
The spectacle of packed stadiums celebrating women’s soccer would have seemed fanciful a decade ago. Since its professional dawn in the 2010s, women’s soccer has charted an inspiring trajectory fueled by grassroots investment, elevated broadcasting partnerships, and increased societal interest.
Euro 2022, hosted by England, was a watershed moment: the final at Wembley Stadium drew nearly 90,000 spectators—the largest ever for a men’s or women’s Euro final—and global TV audiences doubled compared to prior tournaments.
This momentum continued with landmark broadcasting agreements, such as the U.S. Soccer rights deal in 2022 and an extended partnership with Sky Sports and BBC for the English Women's Soccer League starting in 2025. These initiatives aim to expand the sport’s reach, even as it continues to vie for spotlight alongside the dominant men’s game.
Euro 2025 Breaks New Ground with Record-Breaking Engagement
Already, Euro 2025 has sold over 600,000 tickets in advance, with 22 out of 31 matches sold out, illustrating unprecedented demand. UEFA reports that 35% of tickets were purchased by international fans from over 114 nationalities, marking a historic level of global engagement rarely seen in women’s football.
Nadine Kessler, UEFA's director for women's football, remarked: "The diversity of fans — from Germany, England, France, the Netherlands, the United States, and beyond — reflects the tournament’s growing prestige. We’re witnessing the positive fruits of lessons learned from England 2022, setting a new standard for women's football worldwide."
Expert Insight: Economic and Social Dimensions
From an economic perspective, Switzerland’s experience reveals how major sporting events can drive sustainable tourism growth and inject vitality into local economies outside traditional travel peaks. The boost in smaller towns like Thun challenges the notion that mega-events only benefit large metropolitan hubs.
Socially, Euro 2025 stands as a beacon of progress for gender equity in sports, illustrating the power of visibility, investment, and international collaboration in elevating women athletes and inspiring the next generation globally.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Women’s Soccer and Tourism
As Euro 2025 unfolds, industry stakeholders and policymakers alike will be watching closely to harness this momentum. There's a growing recognition that investments in women’s sports can yield outsized returns not only in fan engagement but also in measurable economic impact—a powerful narrative reshaping how nations position themselves in global sports tourism.
Key Takeaways:
- Women’s soccer is driving significant international tourism influx and spending across Switzerland.
- Economic benefits extend beyond major cities to smaller host towns, highlighting distributed impacts.
- The sport’s rising popularity reflects broader societal shifts toward gender equality and inclusivity in athletics.
- Broadcasting deals and grassroots origins remain vital for sustained growth and fan expansion.
Editor’s Note
Euro 2025 is more than just a tournament—it is a milestone in the evolution of women’s sports, with tangible benefits reverberating through Swiss tourism and the global soccer community. This surge invites us to rethink the future of sports tourism and challenges stakeholders to build on this momentum towards more inclusive, economically impactful sporting events worldwide. How might other countries replicate Switzerland’s success in leveraging women’s sports to drive tourism growth? And what remains to be done to close the gap between men’s and women’s sports in terms of investment and visibility? These questions invite further examination as we celebrate the landmark achievements already unfolding.
