Switzerland is casting its eye on international travel-loving Chinese tourists, as the country's tourism bureau announced here over the weekend a new self-service travel package for local travelers.

The package is a five-day tour priced between 12,000 yuan (US$1,451) and 14,000 yuan, the Oriental Morning Post said.  It only takes three days to process the visa, according to a senior ST official.

Upbeat about Chinese travelers' enthusiastic response since last year when Switzerland opened to them, ST expects the number of Chinese visitors to the European county to increase fourfold from 120,000 in the past year to an annual 600,000 in ten years, ST president Juerg Schimid said.

"If so, China will probably contribute an annual US$280 million in tourism revenue to Switzerland," he added, citing ST data which indicates that each Chinese traveler spends 3,000 yuan per day during their visit.

To achieve the target, ST has launched a ten-year promotion program, Schimid revealed.

Part of the program is the investment of 3 million yuan to build an exhibition hall in south China's Lijang city which showcases Switzerland and its attractions. 

The hall, which opened last Wednesday, is expected to become a new tourist highlight in Yunnan Province for the millions of travelers there each year.

The self-service package is another part of the program, Schimid noted.  ST will also open an online training system in November to help Chinese travelers prepare for their Swiss trips.

As for the current absence of direct flights between China and Switzerland, which makes the trip inconvenient, the president said Lufthansa is in the process of starting just such a service and he expects a good result soon. 

Germany's Lufthansa acquired Swissair, formerly Switzerland's national carrier, in 2003.

(Shanghai Daily June 28, 2005)