Foreign tourists spent a total of 14. 6 billion Swiss francs (about 14.2 billion U.S. dollars) in Switzerland in 2007, an 8 percent rise over the previous year, according to government figures released on Thursday.

Of the total expenses, some 7.8 billion Swiss francs (about 7.6 billion U.S. dollars) were spent on accommodation, a rise of more than 12 percent, the Federal Statistics Office said.

This was good news for Swiss hotels as well as youth hostels, campgrounds and holiday homes, it said.

In comparison, Swiss holidaymakers spent 12.3 billion Swiss francs (about 11.9 billion U.S. dollars) on their vacations abroad, which was a rise of 6.4 percent.

The Statistics Office said the strong global economy and strength of the euro compared with the Swiss franc were key drivers of the increases.