Aletsch Arena Reaches A Milestone In The Management Of Tourist Infrastructure

The five municipalities of Bettmeralp, Fiesch, Mörel-Filet, Lax and Riederalp have founded the special purpose association "Tourist Infrastructures Aletsch Arena". Aletsch Arena AG will take over the coordination of operational tasks from January 2025. It will start with the hiking trails and bike trails.

After a lengthy discovery process, characterized by conceptual work and intensive exchange between the representatives of the municipalities, the founding meeting of the special purpose association “Touristic Infrastructures Aletsch Arena” took place in September 2024 in the presence of the presidents of the five municipalities and the managing director of Aletsch Arena AG.

Until now, each municipality has managed its own tourism infrastructure independently. This work will now be coordinated across municipalities. The aim is for the tourism infrastructure to be of consistently high quality and to meet the expectations of guests at the Aletsch Arena. At the same time, the synergy potential between the municipalities should be used to reduce the operational costs of management.

Martial Minnig, mayor of Bettmeralp and initiator of the project, is delighted with the cross-municipal cooperation: "This is a milestone for our region and a big step for the tourism development of the municipalities involved. By joining forces we can offer our guests an optimal infrastructure and relieve the operational burden on the municipalities. And what is particularly important to me is that the municipalities of the Aletsch Arena are moving closer together and demonstrating solidarity with this new structure."

In a first step, the focus is on the hiking trail network and the bike trails. In the medium term, it is planned that infrastructure such as winter hiking trails, cross-country ski trails, snowshoe trails and toboggan runs will also be managed by the special purpose association.

Creation of a new function "Infrastructure Maintenance Coordinator"

The special purpose association has concluded a service agreement for the operational tasks with Aletsch Arena AG. From October 1, 2024, the tourism expert and former hotelier Christian Eyholzer will familiarize himself with the newly created role of "Infrastructure Maintenance Coordinator". From January 2025, the cooperation between the municipalities in the special purpose association will be implemented operationally. In addition to the operational planning and coordination of maintenance work, Christian Eyholzer works on the strategic development of the tourist infrastructure and coordinates safety on the paths on behalf of the municipalities.

"I would like to thank the municipalities involved for their trust in Aletsch Arena AG and am pleased that we are tackling this important project for the Aletsch Arena together. I am convinced that we will raise the tourist infrastructure to a new level and thus further increase the attractiveness of the entire destination," says Philippe Sproll, Managing Director of Aletsch Arena AG.

The project "Planning, implementing and maintaining tourist infrastructures in the Aletsch Arena destination from a single source" was supported by the New Regional Policy (NRP) and the development fund of the Upper Valais region. conim AG supported the project on behalf of the municipalities and Aletsch Arena AG.