Subdued Beginning Of Autumn For Swiss Lift Co’s

September started out like summer, cooled down in the middle of the month and ended with rain in the north. The growth in frequencies and sales compared to the previous year declined somewhat in September. The industry has nevertheless achieved around 30% more sales and around 20% more first entries. In a 5-year comparison, the figures for Switzerland as a whole are 12% and 5% higher.

The increases of around 40% in sales and 30% in first-time entries registered in August have fallen by ten percentage points if September is included. After a nasty start to the season, the months of August and September were mild and warm last year, attracting many tourists to the mountains. The summer of 2022 started very sunny and warm, in the course of September the temperatures cooled down to snowfall at the higher altitudes. The end of September was rainy north of the Alps. The meteorological circumstances are reflected in the sales and in the frequencies: Nevertheless, there remains a 30% increase in sales and a 21% increase in first-time entries compared to the previous year.

Differences in the regions

Central Switzerland and the Bernese Oberland continue to stand out in a year-on-year comparison, and the Vaud and Friborg Alps and eastern Switzerland have also fared significantly better than in summer 2021. Valais is slightly above the comparative period in terms of first entries, Graubünden is slightly below and Ticino is still there around 10% below the very good summer 2021. In the previous month, Ticino was even more negative, which indicates that many guests visited Ticino and its mountains on the rainy weekends on the north side of the Alps at the end of September.

Comparison with the 5-year average

The change compared to the nationwide five-year average is 12% in sales and 5% in first-time entries. The Vaud and Friborg Alps are still at the top of the regional podium. Compared to the five-year average, however, Ticino is also one of the winners