Continuing Very Successful Winter Season For The Swiss Lift Co’s
The winter season for the cable car industry continues to be very positive. After an exceptionally good start to the season with very busy holidays, the sports holiday season is also showing significantly better results than last year. Looking at the season so far, from the start of the season to the end of March, an average of 12% more guests visited the snow sports resorts than in the previous year, and even 20% more than the five-year average. Smaller companies in particular have benefited disproportionately.
For seasonal monitoring, the Swiss Cable Car Industry Association (SBS) evaluates the number of guests (first-time entries) of over 120 members across Switzerland. The figures now available allow for an analysis from the start of the winter season to the end of March. Thanks to daily access data, the association can, for the first time, report on periods that are not defined by month.
Seilbahnen Schweiz is very pleased that after the holiday period (December 16 to January 15: +24%), the sports holiday season is now also performing 10% better in terms of frequency than in the previous year.
This development was already evident due to the strong booking situation in many destinations for sports holidays. Last but not least, the very good weather on the weekends and the consistently excellent slope conditions contributed significantly to this positive result. Swiss Cable Cars emphasizes that this year has been an exceptionally dry winter with little precipitation. The reasons for the good slope conditions lie in the high-quality slope base with artificially produced snow and the relatively cold nights until the end of March.
Lower-lying regions benefit
The seasonal analysis shows that across Switzerland, from the beginning of the season to the end of March, a total of 12% more guests traveled by cable car. Comparing March in isolation with March of the previous year, the number of guests increased by 23% (not shown). A look at the regions shows that all regions were able to maintain or improve on the good results achieved in the same period last year. The Vaud and Fribourg Alps (+29%), Central Switzerland (+20%), the Bernese Oberland (+18%), Eastern Switzerland (+14%), and Ticino (+11%) recorded double-digit growth rates. In lower-lying regions with many small businesses, the figures are even better, demonstrating that guests highly value these areas when snow and slope conditions are good. Valais (+9%) and Graubünden (+3%) also recorded positive figures.
Small and medium-sized enterprises as winners
A further analysis shows that smaller companies (up to CHF 2 million in passenger transport revenue) had an average of over 20% more guests than in the comparable period, medium-sized companies (CHF 2-10 million) recorded an average of 18% more guests, while large companies (over CHF 10 million) welcomed 8% more guests. "Smaller ski resorts have demonstrated that they can offer guests a compelling range of services. The smaller and often lower-lying ski resorts make an invaluable contribution to promoting young talent and are particularly popular with families," says Berno Stoffel, Director of Seilbahnen Schweiz.
Comparison with the 5-year average
The cable car industry is pleased that the current season has been successful, even compared to the five-year average. The number of first-time visitors increased by 20% compared to the five-year average. Here, too, the growth rates vary regionally, ranging from 35% in Ticino to 13% in Graubünden (see Figure 4).
Even though the most important months for snow sports resorts are over and several areas have ended their winter season, there are still numerous areas that are open, some until Easter – and some beyond.
At the beginning of May, SBS will report on guest numbers for the entire winter as part of its seasonal monitoring. The in-depth study "Seasonal Review 2024/25" will follow in August, providing detailed analyses of frequencies, revenue, and the origin of guests for the current winter season.
