Fire in Crans-Montana has had little effect on Swiss tourism
The fire disaster in Crans-Montana has attracted a great deal of international attention but has so far had little impact on Swiss tourism. According to several tourism organisations, bookings, frequencies and sales have remained stable.
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“The event has received a lot of international attention,” says a spokesperson for Valais Promotion in response to an enquiry from the news agency AWP. However, there were no noticeable changes in bookings for Valais as a whole.
In Crans-Montana itself, there have been individual cancellations, especially for corporate events, but “in several cases, bookings have not been cancelled but postponed”.
The perception abroad is different. While in neighbouring European countries the resort was usually mentioned specifically, in long-distance markets the term “Swiss ski resort” is often only used in general terms. Observers see this as a potential risk for the country’s image, but there have been no concrete effects on booking decisions to date.
On New Year’s Eve a fire in a bar in Crans-Montana killed 41 people and injured more than a hundred.
+ Crans-Montana bar owners confronted by fire victim relatives
No shift to the detriment of Valais
Other regions are not reporting any shifts either. A spokesperson for Graubünden Tourism explained that there has been no shift in demand to the detriment of Valais. Although the Graubünden mountain railways registered a slight slowdown in January, this was due to the snow. Catering sales were mostly at the previous year’s level. Cableways Switzerland also noted no fire-related changes in frequencies.
Hotelleriesuisse sees no indication of any structural damage to its image. “We see no reason to assume a widespread or long-term drop in sales for the 2025/26 winter season.” The association pointed to Switzerland’s international image as a safe and professional destination.
At the same time, industry representatives are urging vigilance. Norbert Patt, CEO of Titlis-Bahnen, warned AWP in mid-January of the possible consequences for the overall image and emphasised the importance of strict safety rules. “No tea lights either, really nothing at all,” he said, referring to open flames in mountain stations.
Both Hotelleriesuisse and Valais Promotion emphasised that transparency is now crucial. The events must be “analysed and communicated based on facts” in order to ensure trust. However, it is still too early for a final assessment of possible medium or long-term effects, they added.
Adapted from German by AI/ts
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