Business Report 2017: Swiss Youth Hostels
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2017 SWISS YOUTH HOSTELS Business Report 2017 on Sustainable Development Contents 02 Contents 03 Foreword 04 Key figures 07 Portrait 13 Target achievement in 2017 21 Our range of services 27 Our guests 31 Our employees 35 Our relationship with the environment 39 Our commercial viability 47 Structure and corporate governance 53 Financial reporting 61 Auditors’ report 63 Outlook and priorities for 2018 Readability For the sake of readability, the masculine form will be used throughout the business re- port on the sustainable development of the Swiss Youth Hostels. Wherever appropriate, use of the feminine form is of course implicit. Unless otherwise specified, the published data and figures relate to the 45 lend/ lease hostels (excluding franchises) operated independently by the Swiss Youth Hostels Association. ImprintIndex Page 1: Bern Youth Hostel Editorial team: Fredi Gmür, René Dobler, Janine Bunte, Tanja Arnold Page 6: Crans-Montana Youth Hostel Layout: Stern-Design, Zurich and Philipp Böhle, SYH Page 12: Davos Youth Hostel Printing: PROWEMA GmbH, Pfäffikon Page 20: Crans-Montana Youth Hostel Photography: Mischa Scherrer, Zurich and Thomas Andenmatten, Brig Page 26: Bern Youth Hostel Translation: USG Übersetzungs-Service AG, Ittigen Page 30: Service centre in Zurich Paper: Z-Offset, Offset PrePrint matt, super white, 150 g/m² (cover) and Page 34: Bern Youth Hostel 100 g/m² (content), wood-free, FSC-certified Page 38: Bern Youth Hostel Circulation: 2,500 German, 500 French, 500 English Page 46: Bern Youth Hostel Published by: Swiss Youth Hostels | Schaffhauserstrasse 14 | P.O. Box, 8042 Zurich | Page 52: Crans-Montana Youth Hostel Tel. +41 (0)44 360 14 31 | Fax +41 (0)44 360 14 25 | Email [email protected] | Page 62: Davos Youth Hostel www.youthhostel.ch FOREWORD 2 /3 In recognition of the enormous potential of the tourist industry, the In the 2017 financial year, we achieved 714,455 overnight stays and United Nations (UN) proclaimed 2017 the «International Year of generated operating revenue of CHF 43.8 million. This result is be- Sustainable Tourism for Development». The motivation for this was low the figures for the previous year: Overnight stays fell by 1.3% the important role of tourism in international understanding and and operating revenue decreased by around CHF 2.2 million. This is the appreciation of other cultures. Sustainable tourism is seen as due to the temporary closure of Bern Youth Hostel (rebuilding/new an instrument for the preservation of cultural assets, the elimina- construction) and the closure of Fribourg Youth Hostel at the end of tion of poverty, the protection of the environment, the improvement 2016. In an actual comparison, overnight stays increased by 2.9%. of quality of life and the economic empowerment of women and The adjustment of the children’s prices resulted in a lower revenue, young people. Moreover, the promotion of mutual understanding but had the positive effect of increasing the number of overnight and intercultural dialogue serve to reinforce peace in the world. stays of families. Similarly gratifying is the growth in membership The UN’s closing document states: «The future we want is a well- of 2.6%, as well as the slight increase in the average length of stay designed and well-managed tourism that can make a significant to 2.02 days. The prospects for the coming year promise a positive contribution to the three dimensions of sustainable development, development. This is because of a winter with plenty of snow in the has close linkages to other sectors, creates decent jobs and can mountain destinations and the reopening of Bern Youth Hostel at generate trade opportunities.» the end of March. The Swiss Youth Hostels have been pursuing these goals for dec- A difficult operating environment, a strong but also stable Swiss ades. Sustainable development – economic, social and ecologi- franc and the sluggish recovery of the economic situation demand- cal – is both an objective and an incentive for our daily actions. ed enormous efforts from our employees. Our heartfelt thanks for In 2017, this was once again confirmed when we received «The their tireless efforts! We would also like to thank the honorary Most Sustainable National Association» award from Hostelling members of the Board of Management and Board of Trustees, as International. well as our regional, national and international partners. We achieved important milestones in the development of our net- work when «Bella Lui» Youth Hostel in Crans-Montana and Trin Youth Hostel newly opened; our barrier-free offer was also expanded. The Federal Council has defined the tourism strategy of the Federal Government for the coming years. It is intended to contrib- ute to an internationally competitive tourism economy and to the overall appeal and performance of Switzerland as a tourist destina- tion. The objectives are to improve framework conditions, promote entrepreneurship, increase the market presence and the appeal of the range of products and services, and to seize the opportuni- ties presented by digitisation. We are seizing these opportunities and will systematically advance the processes of digitisation: In addition to the existing Wi-Fi service in the communal rooms, all hostels in the TOP category have been upgraded and now offer free Wi-Fi in the entire building; www.youthhostel.ch has been rede- signed and the electronic booking process simplified; the imple- mentation of the cloud strategy is making good progress. Stephan Kurmann Fredi Gmür René Dobler Janine Bunte President SYH CEO SYH CEO SFST CFO SYH/SFST [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] KEY FIGURES Our range of services Hostels Beds 80 8,000 70 7,000 60 6,000 50 5,000 40 4,000 30 3,000 20 2,000 10 1,000 0 0 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 Total Own hostels Franchise hostels Total Own hostels Franchise hostels Our guests and members Members Overnight stays 120,000 1,000,000 100,000 800,000 80,000 600,000 60,000 400,000 40,000 20,000 200,000 0 0 1) 2) 3) 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2017 19921) 19962) 20003) 2004 2008 2012 2017 Total Adult Juniors Families Groups Seniors Total Own hostels Franchise hostels Our employees Employees Full-time posts 600 300 500 250 400 200 300 150 200 100 100 50 0 0 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 Total Hostels Service Centre Zurich Total Hostels Service Centre Zurich Fluctuation rate 40% 30% 20% The relevant tables are listed at the end of the 10% respective chapters. 1) First fiscal year following the merger of 14 independent districts 0 2) Start of reorganisation 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 3) Start of implementation of strategic planning Fluctuation rate 4) Before allocations and write-offs 4 /5 Our relationship with the environment Electricity consumption Water consumption 6 kWh 200 150 3 kWh 100 50 0 kWh 0 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 kWh per overnight stay Litres per overnight stay Reduction in CO2 loading 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 CO2 loading reduction Our commercial viability Operating revenue C a s h fl o w 50,000,000 12,000,000 10,000,000 40,000,000 8,000,000 30,000,000 6,000,000 20,000,000 4,000,000 10,000,000 2,000,000 0 0 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 Total Accommodation Food & Beverage Members Cash fl ow 4) Productivity Value added 200,000 30,000,000 25,000,000 20,000,000 150,000 15,000,000 10,000,000 100,000 5,000,000 0 50,000 –5,000,000 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 1992 1) 1996 2) 2000 3) 2004 2008 2012 2017 Productivity per employee Total Public sector Employees Organisation PORTRAIT 6 / 7 We strive – to promote quality-oriented, socially responsible and environmentally sound tourism for young people and families, – to focus on human relations, – to live up to the idea of partner- oriented thinking at all levels, – to strengthen our image and standing as the most important tourist organi- sation for young people and families, – to achieve appropriate business results in order to ensure the ongoing existence of our organisation. PORTRAIT Promoting responsible and sustainable behaviour is an important The Swiss Youth Hostels are represented by three independent objective for the Swiss Youth Hostels. Accordingly, already in 1994 partner organisations: our mission statement laid the foundations for a balanced ap- − the Swiss Youth Hostels Association is responsible for the proach regarding our economic, social and ecological activities. operation of the youth hostels in Switzerland and the Princi- Our highest objective is the maintenance of inexpensive ser- pality of Liechtenstein; vices. Nevertheless, we want to meet rising quality requirements. − the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism is the proprietor of We wish to offer our guests a demand-conscious, innovative pro- 30 youth hostels in Switzerland; gramme of services that is attractive and provides genuine alterna- − the Foundation for Youth Hostels in Switzerland provides tives to other forms of accommodation. In other words: to cultivate financial support in the form of long-term loans for purchas- simplicity. We attach particular importance to transparent struc- ing land, and for building, modifying, repairing and furnishing tures, the personal management of our hostels and to a pleasant youth hostels.