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Swiss Alpine huts record summer boom

Woman hiking in the Swiss Alps
Alpine guest huts benefited from a warm summer. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / PETER SCHNEIDER

The mountain huts of the Swiss Alpine Club (CAS) experienced the best summer season in their history last year. During this period, the 147 cabins recorded 310,735 overnight stays, or 5% more than the previous year.

With the exception of huts in Valais, all regions of Switzerland recorded more overnight stays between the beginning of May and the end of October than during the same period in 2022, the Swiss Alpine Club (CAS) said in a press release on Wednesday.

Over the whole year, the number of nights amounted to 373,123, or 1,800 less than the record figure for 2022. For the first time, the turnover exceeded CHF10 million.

According to the CAS, it was the huts in the Ticino Alps that benefited the most from the generally good conditions for hiking. Cabins in the Bernese Oberland were also more sought after than in the previous year, while those in other regions saw a slight decline.

According to Ulrich Delang, head of the cabin sector at CAS, this enthusiasm can be explained in particular by the fact that mountain sports are becoming more and more popular. “When it is very hot in the city, people tend to go to the mountains to cool off. The cabins are also accessible to families,” he told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

Ulrich Delang also emphasises that these cabins are mainly frequented by Swiss people. “About three-quarters of our guests are Swiss,” says the manager.

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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