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Quarantine mix, tighter entry regulations, an increasing number of cases – holidays in the heat need nerves (VIEW). But Switzerland doesn’t let the festive autumn atmosphere spoil it. As in summer, the holiday cantons of Graubünden and Ticino, as well as a large part of the Bernese Oberland and Valais, are in demand.
“If the weather cooperates to some extent, I hope that many people will spend their autumn holidays in Switzerland,” confirmed Hotelleriesuisse President Andreas Züllig (61) when asked. He is the host himself, at the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lenzerheide GR. It is fully booked for three weeks, mainly with local guests.
Züllig speaks of “relatively good reserves” for the mountainous regions until mid-October. There are still capabilities, whether it’s for families, solo travelers, or seniors who like to hike, he says. “Holidays in Switzerland are worth it for everyone.”
However, vacation apartments are in special demand, say providers surveyed by BLICK. At Interhome, one of the largest vacation apartment brokerage platforms in Switzerland, you can clearly feel the rush for the fall holidays.
“We are above the level of the previous year in terms of Swiss person bookings,” says Interhome’s Bianca Gähweiler. At E-Domizil, another great brokerage platform, the figures speak even clearer language: bookings in September are double the previous year. For October, E-Domizil is already 56 percent above the previous year, for November 29 percent.
Different preferences
For many, seclusion is in demand. “For example, a remote rustic in Ticino, a chalet in the mountains, but also a modern holiday apartment in the center,” says Interhome’s Gähweiler. In E-Domizil, mountain pastures, alpine huts and farms are very popular in autumn.
According to E-Domizil, guests are booking on exceptionally short notice this year. In hotels they book even with short notice. “Reservations depend on the weather,” says spokeswoman Karin Sieber of the Hotelleriesuisse industry association.
In cities, however, hotel operators are on the verge of a lack of business travelers and foreign tourists. “Many hoteliers have told us they only have a few reservations for the fall,” says Sieber. “At the moment there are no signs that the situation in the cities will improve.”
