Tourism Swiss mountain railroads suffer from rain in September

Rainy late summer: conditions for excursions and vacations in the mountains were poor in September. For the Swiss mountain railroads, it was the weakest month of the summer season, which lasts until October.

Visitor numbers in September fell by 18 percent compared to the same period last year, as reported by Cableways Switzerland on Tuesday. Overall, visitor numbers fell by 4 percent from May to September.

According to the press release, this was due to the wet September and the rainy start to the season. The summer temperatures from mid-July to August only partially compensated for the decline in visitors.

This season, the mountain railroads in Graubünden and Eastern Switzerland in particular suffered losses, with the number of guests falling by 12 and 11 percent respectively compared to the same period last year. In Valais and Central Switzerland, the decline was slightly lower at 3 and 5 percent respectively.

Local guests more sensitive

According to the press release, local guests were particularly sensitive to the weather. Railroads that rely primarily on guests from Switzerland recorded a drop of 7 percent over the season, while those with more international guests remained at the previous year's level. For foreign guests who plan earlier and have less time, the weather is therefore less of a deciding factor for a trip to the mountains, the association concludes.

However, Berno Stoffel, Director of Seilbahnen Schweiz, gives the all-clear for the future: "Depending on the weather conditions, the lifts are always challenged, but this will be compensated for in the long term by periods of good weather."

For the summer season monitoring, Seilbahnen Schweiz evaluates the number of guests - i.e. first-time admissions - from over one hundred members throughout Switzerland and over the entire season. The Swiss Ropeway Association has around 350 regular members from all parts of the country.

SDA