Highland Tourism Boost From Swiss Flights
Charter flights from Zurich will be arriving in the Highland Capital from May for the next 15 weeks.
A new weekly air link from Switzerland to Inverness could bring £1 million pounds to the local economy.
The estimate from Inverness Airport comes ahead of charter flights from Zurich starting in May.
The service, operated by Swiss based Falcon Travel, will run for 15 weeks until August, returning again in 2016 and 2017.
In 2013, Swiss tourists visiting Scotland spent a total of £31 million, and had an average spend of £632 per trip, according to Visit Scotland.
The new service will have capacity for up to 1,500 inbound visitors.
Graeme Bell, Inverness Airport General Manager, said: “The return of flights from Zurich to Inverness is a significant boost to the city’s tourism industry.
"We anticipate the new service will generate almost £1 million for the sector.
"That’s fantastic news for hotels, restaurants and visitor attractions across Inverness and the Highlands.
“We are delighted that Falcon Travel have committed to operate this service for three years.
"Inverness and the Highlands have a great deal to offer Swiss visitors and we will be working closely with Inverness and Loch Ness Tourism BID and other tourism agencies to ensure we make the most of this opportunity.”
Graeme Ambrose, CEO of the Tourism BID, said: “This is great news for the Inverness and Loch Ness area.
"The Swiss are traditionally high spenders and the return of this service will provide a welcome additional boost to local tourism businesses over the summer months."
Janine Hunziker, Product Manager Northern Europe for Falcon Travel, said: “We are excited about the prospect of returning to Inverness this year.
"Inverness is a well known destination to our Swiss customers and we therefore expect a successful booking season.”