Ulrich Rotzinger and Darija Knezevic (text), Siggi Bucher (photos)
Picture book weather in the Bernese Oberland. A sea of golden larch trees in the Engadine. Hiking groups and families in a great holiday mood. Even if you have to pack well with the temperatures at high altitudes such as on the Titlis in Engelberg OW. Franz (67) and Marianne (62) from Muri AG laughingly say: “We spontaneously booked a four-day excursion in Engelberg. Wonderful up there! The calm itself. Simply perfect. Autumn couldn’t be more beautiful. “
Autumn, which has been splendid so far, is just what Switzerland Tourism likes. For a long time, the mood was not as good as it was these days, say the tourism experts. “The mood of the guests is certainly better than last autumn,” says spokeswoman Liên Burkard. Vaccinated guests from abroad could also enter Switzerland without any problems, which was not the case in the previous year.
Weather attracts many day-trippers to the heights
Burkhard knows from employees at the front: “Above all, overnight inquiries at short notice have noticeably increased in the glorious autumn weather.” The interest in short-term excursions: great anyway.
No current booking and occupancy figures are yet available for October. The number of overnight stays in September is an indication of a significant increase over the previous year. The hotels recorded a 91 percent increase in foreign guests compared to the previous year. Domestic guests booked 2.3 percent more overnight stays in September.
It is also the Swiss who ring the tills most frequently in October. This is the result of a Switzerland-wide survey by Blick of mountain railways and tourism associations.
Local guests support tourism
Urs Egli (44), Head of Marketing at Titlis Bergbahnen: “The weather this season is much better than last autumn. The valued Swiss guests continue to dominate, but more and more guests are coming from abroad, which we are very pleased about. “
The Hoch-Ybrig mountain railways also confirm: “Fortunately, the beautiful weather has lured more guests into the mountains.”
The golden autumn is also decisive for the Meiringen-Hasliberg mountain railways. «The weather makes a big difference. Especially when there is fog and bright sunshine in the mountains, ”says Head of Sales Simon Schmid (38).
Cheers over Petrus’ good mood in Graubünden too. “In addition to planned holidays, the perfect autumn weather also invites you to go on excursions and spontaneous visits, which we are very happy about,” says Luzi Bürkli, spokesman for Graubünden Holidays.
Biking and hiking in the Upper Engadin
The Engadin is very satisfied with the way the autumn holidays have gone so far. “Our guests appreciate and use the wide range of overnight stays in the valley and the countless outdoor activities,” says Jan Steiner (43) from Engadin Tourism.
These include hiking, rope parks or biking. Individual bike rental companies in the Upper Engadine were downright bogged down on some days in the past few weeks – reservations by telephone were necessary, it is reported. Nevertheless, there was enough space in the pubs and on mountain terraces.
All those surveyed by Blick affirmed that the certificate requirement for interiors did not lead to any incidents when it was complied with. The guests are now used to handling certificates and masks where necessary.
Spontaneous bookers are even drawn to the Engadine
Many booked their holidays or excursions on the spur of the moment. “The good weather situation has certainly also meant that one or the other undecided decided to visit the Engadine at short notice,” says Jan Steiner.
His industry colleague Andreas Frey (30), head of Appenzellerland Tourismus AR, also speaks of a high number of guests: “We are expecting 10 percent more visitors than last autumn, which was already above average. Blue above, gray below, that seems to be the current keyword. ”
In the alpine destinations, autumn has established itself as the actual third season. Incidentally, this also applies to Ticino. “The hotels are well booked there during the autumn break. PostBus is also happy about that, ”says spokeswoman Katharina Merkle from the subsidiary of the Post. “We are currently using a lot of extra vehicles for reinforcement.”