- The ski areas draw a positive balance of the winter season that has come to an end.
- The number of guests reached 85 percent of the pre-pandemic 2018/2019 season.
- The balance in the areas on the southern side of the Alps is less good: there was mostly no snow.
Last winter already started at the end of November, there was snow in the mountains with early opening of ski areas. The weather was glorious over Christmas and especially from February – and that continued until Easter. The conditions for the ski areas could not have been better – certainly on the north side of the Alps.
After a brilliant start to the winter season, this positive feeling lasted until Easter.
“After a brilliant start to the winter season, this positive feeling lasted over the winter holidays until Easter,” says Markus Berger, spokesman for the Swiss Tourism Association, describing the winter season in brief.
Swiss vacationed in Switzerland
Some destinations even speak of an “extraordinary year” with consistently good occupancy. On average, you are back to the level of 85 percent before the pandemic, says Berger.
However, not all ski resorts have benefited equally from a good season, as explained by Berno Stoffel, director of the Swiss Cable Car Association. In particular, those places that are increasingly dependent on foreign tourists have not yet reached the pre-pandemic numbers.
It was more difficult to go on ski holidays abroad – that helped us.
It is true that guests from Europe came again for their winter holidays in Switzerland, for example from Germany. But it was above all the domestic guests who ensured good occupancy – also because fewer of them went to neighboring countries than in previous years. “It was more difficult to go skiing abroad than in Switzerland,” says Stoffel. “That helped us.”
Winter sports boom in all facets
In fact, the number of Swiss guests in the local ski areas has increased by ten percent compared to before the pandemic, says Berger from Switzerland Tourism. In the last two winters, the local tourists have proved to be “the real lifeline”.
Thanks to the pandemic, winter sports are basically experiencing an upswing, says Stoffel from the mountain railways – especially among young people. “Because it was the only way to do sports over the past two winters, we’ve experienced a real revival.” This is good for the Swiss tourism industry.