Visitors look at Napa the bear at the Arosa Bärenland sanctuary in the mountain resort of Arosa, Switzerland, on June 25 2019. Picture: REUTERS/ARND WIEGMANN
Arosa has re-invented itself before — moving to winter tourism in the 1930s after decades as a health resort for tuberculosis patients. But with nearly 620,000 overnight stays in winter last year, more than three times the summer total, it will not be easy. “The consequences of climate change will be felt across the travel and tourism sector over the coming decades,” the OECD, whose member countries represent 80% of the world’s trade and investment, said in a 2018 study of mega-trends in tourism. Storms, flooding and tidal surges will threaten coastal regions; southern destinations face extreme heatwaves; and northern ones will see shorter periods of snowfall, it said.
Hotels and restaurants charge more in winter too, but the strong Swiss franc has priced many people out. Switzerland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and the Swiss government says the long-term outlook for tourism is healthy. “Mountain summers can position themselves as an alternative to the Mediterranean regions,” a 2017 report said.
Europe’s population is ageing and younger people are less interested in skiing. Snowshoeing, winter hiking, sledding and ski touring — in which people hike up mountains — are on the increase, industry lobby Swiss Tourism says. Consolidation of winter tourism is on the horizon, with overnight stays in bigger Swiss resorts up 1% in the decade to 2015, but down 17% in smaller ones.
The strong Swiss franc has hit ski lifts focused on winter business from European visitors hard in the past 10 years, the government says, but the minority of lifts with strong summer business are booming thanks to visitors from overseas.
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