American visitors flock to Swiss ski pistes

A growing number of Americans are taking to Swiss ski hills. Keystone / Anthony Anex

North American tourists are increasingly visiting Swiss mountain resorts, from Zermatt to Andermatt, via St. Moritz and the Jungfrau region in the Bernese Oberland.

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Martin Nydegger, head of Switzerland Tourism, and Berno Stoffel, director of the Swiss Cableways Association, both expect an increase in American visitors to Swiss ski resorts. This is despite the appreciation of the Swiss franc – or the weakness of the dollar – and the growing economic uncertainties across the Atlantic.

“The strong franc is nothing new for tourism in Switzerland,” Nydegger told the AWP news agency. Regular visitors tend to be immune to crises and committed to their travels.

American visitor numbers have seen a significant upturn since the end of the pandemic. Accounting for less than 800,000 overnight stays in the 2018/19 season, their contribution jumped to over a million in the winter of 2023/24 and has continued to grow since then.

An increasing proportion of them are taking to the mountains. The latest figures from Switzerland Tourism in 2023 indicated that around one tenth of American visitors were heading for the heights. According to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), this proportion jumped to more than a third in the 2024/25 season.

Despite the distance, the small Alpine country has undeniable advantages, starting with affordable lift passes compared to the $200 (CHF158) or more a day it can cost in Aspen or Beaver Creek. For residents of the East Coast, the travel time is only slightly longer than to resorts in the Rockies. Not to mention the quality of the slopes, the infrastructure and the culinary offerings, adds Stoffel.

Vail effect

“We have seen a resurgence of interest in Switzerland among North American visitors following the takeover of the Crans-Montana and Andermatt Sedrun resorts,” a representative of Vail Resorts told AWP. In fact, American visitor numbers to the Graubünden resort have risen from 1,600 overnight stays before the pandemic to nearly 10,000, according to local tourism director Thomas Christen. “Nearly 80% of them come to ski,” he adds.

Also noticeable in Grindelwald and Wengen, the resurgence in bookings from the United States is overshadowed by an even stronger trend. “First and foremost, we are seeing renewed interest from Canadian visitors. Scarred by tensions between the two countries, they are avoiding destinations in the US in favour of Europe and Switzerland,” explains Isabelle Rapisarda, who is in charge of North American customers for the Jungfrau Region Tourism organisation.

Adapted from French by AI/jdp

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