The major destinations are satisfied with the course of the winter season so far. On the other hand, the smaller ski areas without artificial snow have a hard time.
The precarious snow conditions in the low altitudes have meant that winter sports fanatics have increasingly sought their luck in the high-altitude, snow-sure regions.
St. Moritz, for example, set a record for overnight stays in December. The holiday resort in the Upper Engadine also recorded a plus in January.
After all, there was an 18 percent increase in overnight stays in Davos-Klosters in the first three months of the season. “We are back at the same level as before the Corona years,” writes the local media office.
Flims Laax Falera, on the other hand, speaks of a “weaker start to the season” due to a lack of snow. This was compensated by good business during the Christmas and sports holidays. “Overall, the occupancy rate in the hotels until the end of February is comparable to a good to very good winter,” according to the Laax media office.
Good prospects
The prospects in the Graubünden hotel industry for the entire winter season are meanwhile higher than those of the already very strong previous winter, as reported by the Graubünden Hotellerie Suisse industry association. “It looks like a very good winter and very good sports holidays again,” it said.
For its part, the Jungfrau Ski Region in the Bernese Oberland recorded the fourth best start to the season in the last ten years. The region also recorded many winter sports guests on the toboggan runs and winter hiking trails, as Kathrin Naegeli, Communications Manager at Jungfrau Railways, said.
People are also satisfied in the two major tourist resorts in Central Switzerland, Engelberg/OW and Andermatt/UR. “Engelberg can look back on a very good winter season so far,” said Andres Lietha, director of Engelberg-Titlis Tourismus. In Andermatt, too, the season is developing “very positively”, explained Stefan Kern, media spokesman for Andermatt Swiss Alps.
Great February
In the Vaudois and the Valais Alps, people are particularly happy about the many bookings in the new year. In Ovronnaz/VS, for example, the fall in visitor numbers during the Christmas holidays was made up for by up to 20 percent in January and February. It sounds similar in Portes du Soleil Switzerland.
The director of the tourism destination Bex-Villars-Gryon-Les Diablerets/VD, Sergei Aschwanden, said: “We are satisfied with this season so far, despite a complicated start. There are many people in the stations, the hotel bookings are good. »
Small areas suffer
In contrast to the large winter sports areas, the winter was extremely difficult for many small areas without artificial snowmaking. Some started the season late due to lack of snow and had to close the slopes again.
Sörenberg/LU, for example, only got off to a good start in mid-January. The far too high temperatures led to reduced skiing there. The sales figures at the Sörenberger Bergbahnen are currently around 35 percent behind those of the previous year.
Other ski areas such as Splügen-Tambo/GR made it through the Christmas week, but then had to close temporarily due to high temperatures.
Figures on the financial impact of the closures are not yet available. In general, the big ones may have benefited from the lack of snow for the little ones in the lower elevations.