Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss mountain railways suffer from rain in September

Swiss mountain railroads 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.

+ Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

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.

More

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

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

The 16 days against violence against women come to an end

More

Sixteen-day Swiss campaign against gender-based violence ends

This content was published on The 16-day campaign against gender-based violence came to an end on Tuesday. Several hundred organizations mobilized across Switzerland during this period, after kicking off with a mobilization attended by 10,000 people.

Read more: Sixteen-day Swiss campaign against gender-based violence ends
Rare Roman coin sold for 1.89 million francs at auction

More

Rare Roman coin auctioned for almost CHF2 million in Geneva

This content was published on A rare Roman coin with a portrait of Brutus, the assassin of Julius Caesar, was sold at a Geneva auction on Monday for CHF1.89 million ($2.15 million), according to the organiser of the sale.

Read more: Rare Roman coin auctioned for almost CHF2 million in Geneva
Council of States says yes to the federal budget without a dissenting vote

More

Swiss Senate approves federal budget without opposition

This content was published on The Swiss army will receive an additional CHF530 million in 2025, and no cuts will be made to direct payments for agriculture. What is unclear is how much will be saved on foreign aid.

Read more: Swiss Senate approves federal budget without opposition
SEM suspends asylum procedure for asylum seekers from Syria

More

Swiss suspend decisions on asylum-seekers from Syria

This content was published on Asylum procedures and decisions for asylum-seekers from Syria will be suspended with immediate effect until the situation can be reassessed, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) said.

Read more: Swiss suspend decisions on asylum-seekers from Syria
Seafood can lead to toxic arsenic compounds

More

Seafood can lead to toxic arsenic compounds

This content was published on Potentially toxic arsenic compounds can form in the human body when seafood is consumed. This is caused by arsenobetaine, which is often found in seafood. It can be converted into partially toxic substances by intestinal bacteria.

Read more: Seafood can lead to toxic arsenic compounds
Coop expands food waste program for frozen fresh meat

More

Coop expands food waste programme for frozen meat

This content was published on Swiss retailer Coop is expanding its programme to avoid meat waste. A corresponding pilot project is gradually being extended to the entire store network.

Read more: Coop expands food waste programme for frozen meat

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR