The end of the year was very successful for ski resorts in Switzerland. Hotels and other tourism service providers reported an increase in bookings and revenues.
The 30th December was especially successful according to the reports. The mountain cable-cars in Adelboden in the Bernese Oberland recorded 22,000 visitors that day. This was an "all-time record", as tourism director Urs Pfenninger commented.
In the Lenzer moors in Grisons, a Swiss canton, 18,000 snowboarders were encouraged to take to the slopes. "More than 12,000 of the people on the mountains are having a good time," said Bruno Fläcklin manager of local marketing agency.
After Christmas, heavy winds added slightly to the winter atmosphere and brought with them long-awaited snow to more parts of the Alps. The skiing conditions on the slopes at Christmas were good, and the mountains attracted more ski-enthusiasts than in the previous year. E.g. the mountain cable-cars of Toggenburg recorded 16% more visitors than last year.
The mountain railways of Davos Klosters, those in the ski arena of Andermatt-Sedrun and also Champéry Les Crosets (VS) transported a similar number of skiers on the Christmas day like last year.
Thanks to the late start of winter, many regions frequented for winter sports had to use their snow cannons to prepare the slopes for visitors. Only thanks to artificial snow people were able to begin the season at the right time, said Silvio Schmid, director of the ski-arena Andermatt-Sedrun. "The snow cannons saved us," Eric Balet added, director of the mountain cable-cars of Verbier (VS).
Not only the mountain cable-car operators are satisfied with the amount of visitors. Hoteliers also recorded positive results. In Adelboden during the last two weeks of December, the hotels were often 98% occupied, according to Urs Pfenninger. In comparison to the "lack of success of last year", they had received 3% more guests, and in comparison to the last five years, there was still a 1.5% increase in value recorded.
Also, in Fuss des Matterhorns, more guests stayed overnight than in the previous year. The occupancy rate of the hotels was 5% more than that of last year's, according to Edith Zweifel, media spokeswoman of Zermatt Tourism.
Gstaad Saanenland Tourism reported a "great winter", as spokeswoman Kerstin Sonnekalb said. "If anyone is looking for a room, they have to have a lot of luck and patience."