Cabins operated by the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) had the second-best year in their history in 2019, with the hot summer especially sending people in search of fresher air in the mountains.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/dos
The 355,268 overnight stays recorded in the 153 mountain cabins of the SAC amounted to a 3.6% increase on 2018, the second-best year in their 150-year history.
Some four-fifths of the visitors were recorded between May and October, amounting to the best summer season ever. Two long heatwaves, at the end of June and the end of July, prompted residents from the valleys to seek fresher air at altitude, the SAC said.
Combined with money spend from visitors during the day, the overnight stays brought a total of CHF32.5 million ($34.03 million) for the huts.
The most visited of the 153 cabins operated by the Alpine organisation was the Lämmerenhütte in the Bernese Oberland, with 7,810 overnight stays.
The booming huts came on the back of a record overall year for Swiss hotels, which saw 39.6 million overnight stays across the country last year. Both domestic and foreign tourist numbers went up.
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
This content was published on
The cantonal police of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland have arrested and convicted five cocaine dealers in Chur within a week.
This content was published on
The Swiss business umbrella organisation Economiesuisse and the employers' association broadly support the package of agreements negotiated with the European Union.
Top Swiss politician experiences drone attack in Ukraine
This content was published on
Maja Riniker, president of the Swiss House of Representatives, said she had to spend two hours in a bunker during her trip to Ukraine because of Russian drone attacks.
This content was published on
A rockfall caused an interruption of several hours on the Albula line of the Rhaetian Railway between Thusis and Tiefencastel on Thursday.
This content was published on
A 600kg bull that escaped in the Montalchez region of canton Neuchâtel has been found in a pen surrounded by several cows.
Bern chatbot wins UN artificial intelligence award
This content was published on
The Bern-based chatbot "Sophia" has won the United Nations' "AI for Good Impact Award 2025". The chatbot is designed to help victims of domestic violence.
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.