Visitors to the Jungfraujoch top one million in 2017
The alpine train station at the ‘top of Europe’ in the Bernese Alps welcomed 1,042 million visitors last year – a 13.6% increase over 2016.
The figures were announced on Friday by Jungfrau Railways as a new record, and the second time in the company’s history that more than one million visitors have been counted. This landmark was first recorded in 2015 with 1,007 million.
+ Jungfrau railway is still on top
The Interlaken-based company attributed the surge in visits to a head-start on the winter ski season thanks to an early first snowfall, as well as increased demand from Asian clients. About 70% of the railway’s annual visitors to the Jungfraujoch come from Asia – mostly from China, South Korea, India and Japan.
The Jungfraujoch is the glacial saddle connecting the Jungfrau and Mönch mountain peaks in the Bernese Alps, and is a popular tourist and winter sport destination. The rail station there sits at an altitude of 3,454 metres (11,332 feet) – the highest in Europe. The Jungfrau Railway’s cogwheel train provides the only public access to the site.
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