The popularity of multi-station passes, such as the Magic Pass, is helping to drive visitor numbers in autumn.
Keystone-SDA
The outlook for autumn tourism is positive, according to Switzerland Tourism. Many resorts are extending their opening times, allowing visitor numbers to increase overtime.
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Many destinations are extending their operations into November, often offering weekend openings at a minimum. In November 2024, overnight stays at mountain resorts showed an increase of around 30% compared to 2018, explains the promotion body Switzerland Tourism. This growth was driven in particular by the increase in domestic demand, as well as by American customers, according to the comparison between the figures available for autumn 2024 and those for 2018.
“There has been a change in attitude among operators in recent years: more and more are prepared to keep their facilities open beyond the summer season,” Angelo Trotta, director of Ticino Turismo, is quoted as saying in a press release. For the first time, in 2025 the Schilthorn cable car in canton Bern will be open all year round, with no interruptions for maintenance in November and December.
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The popularity of multi-station passes, such as the Magic Pass, is also playing a factor in the trend. “It encourages use of our lifts until late autumn and makes the Saas Valley attractive for the start of the ski season in November. At that time, up to 50 kilometres of pistes are open here,” explains Mattia Storni of Saas-Fee-Saastal Tourism, quoted in the press release.
Several destinations are trying to position themselves to attract visitors in autumn. In the Engadine, for example, a dedicated website provides an overview of establishments open in autumn. Graubünden (32%), Valais (23%) and the Bern region (18%) were the most popular mountain regions for Swiss guests in autumn 2024.
The autumn season has got off to a good start, according to the first data collected for September from tourism specialists in several destinations. The number of overnight stays is expected to remain stable over the year.
Translated from French with DeepL/gw
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