Swiss hotels hit by wave of cancellations

Porters outside a hotel in St Moritz wait for guests Keystone / Giancarlo Cattaneo

Measures to deal with the latest Covid-19 variant are already having a negative impact on hotel bookings in Switzerland, according to umbrella association Hotelleriesuisse. There are also fears that the entire Ski World Cup will have to be cancelled.

“Due to the quarantine regulation for guests from important source markets and the worsening epidemiological situation in Switzerland, many establishments are struggling with a wave of cancellations,” Hotelleriesuisse said in a statementExternal link.

It said some hotels that rely in particular on visitors from Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium had seen cancellation rates of 100%. In an attempt to contain the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, the Swiss authorities have placed those three countries – and 20 others – on a listExternal link. People entering Switzerland from those countries must spend ten days in quarantine.

In addition, Hotelleriesuisse said there had been “massive cancellations” of company events and Christmas events.

‘Massive state intervention’

The association now hopes that a lockdown can be avoided. It expressed understanding for the quarantine measures, “nevertheless, this is a massive state intervention in the freedom to travel. It should lead to compensation accordingly and should be lifted as soon as possible. Planning security is needed for holiday bookings in the coming winter months”.

Hotelleriesuisse said a “functioning winter season” was crucial, since tourism generated a large part of its added value in the winter months.

Specifically, the association demanded “uniform measures” to contain the pandemic. Past experience had shown that cantonal efforts alone are not effective, it said. These measures could include 3G in the workplace (access only for people who have been vaccinated or tested or who have recovered from Covid), mandatory masks indoors, mandatory repeat testing in companies or free testing for everyone.

Ski World Cup at risk?

The pandemic is not only playing havoc with tourism but also with winter sports. On Tuesday newspaper Blick reported on the increasingly precarious situation for professional skiers and the possibility that the Ski World Cup will be scrappedExternal link.

It pointed out that on Monday Canada was added to the Swiss “quarantine list”. This puts the World Cup race in the Swiss resort of St Moritz, set for December 11-12, at risk, since women skiers are racing this week in the Canadian resort of Lake Louise.

“A ten-day quarantine as prescribed by the Federal Office of Public Health? That’s impossible for [Swiss ski stars] Corinne Suter, Michelle Gisin and co,” the paper said. There are currently no quarantine exceptions for professional athletes, the sports ministry confirmed.

Blick wondered whether the whole World Cup would have to be cancelled, like the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade, the largest winter sports event next to the Winter Olympics, which was pulled on Monday.