Swiss mountain railways suffer from rain in September

Swiss mountain railroads suffer from rain in September Keystone-SDA

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

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Visitor numbers in September fell by 18% compared to the same period last year, as reported by the association of Swiss cable car operators (Seilbahnen Schweiz) on Tuesday. Overall, visitor numbers fell by 4% 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 railways in the eastern canton of Graubünden and Eastern Switzerland in particular suffered losses, with the number of guests falling by 12% and 11% respectively compared to the same period last year. In the southern canton of Valais and Central Switzerland, the decline was slightly lower at 3% and 5% respectively.

Local guests more sensitive

According to the press release, local guests were particularly sensitive to the weather. Railways that rely primarily on guests from Switzerland recorded a drop of 7% 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 the cable car operator association, 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.”

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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