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PETER KLAUNZER
The Jungfraujoch registered just over 100,000 visitors in the first six months, and the railway had never been closed for so long since the First World War.
Traffic revenue more than halved to 35.0 million Swiss francs, as the group announced on Wednesday. EBITDA collapsed to 5.9 million from 47.4 million a year earlier. The final result was a net loss of 11.5 million after a gain of 23.9 million in the same period of the previous year.
The number of visitors was greatly reduced. With 100,600 visitors, the Jungfraujoch had almost 79 percent fewer guests than the previous year. Tour traffic to the Jungfrau-Joch was stopped due to the lockdown from mid-March until the restart on June 6. Last year, more than a million tourists traveled to the “top of Europe”, about 70 percent of whom came from Asia.
Short-term job for almost everyone
Reduced work had been requested for a large portion of the workforce and operating costs had been significantly reduced. Since reopening in early June, the sharp fluctuation in visitor numbers remains a challenge. In July and August, however, 153,000 people visited the Jungfraujoch again; Most of the guests came from Switzerland and neighboring European countries.
However, this is not enough to compensate for the lack of international clients. But there is a lively exchange with the main markets in Asia.
Financial consequences cannot be estimated
The new Männlichenbahn was inaugurated in December 2019 for the large V-Bahn project. The 3S “Eiger Express” cable car will open next December; On December 5, the date is even a week earlier than planned. Financing of operations and completion of the V-Bahn are assured.
The ongoing spread of Covid-19 still has an impact on business. It is said that the financial consequences of the pandemic cannot currently be estimated. From today’s perspective, the company assumes that positive EBITDA can be expected for 2020 as a whole, despite a loss. (SDA)
