Strong Winter Season in the Holiday Region of Gstaad

The winter began strongly in December. Early snowfall combined with artificial snowmaking in November and stable piste conditions over the holidays resulted in high demand. Simultaneously, public holidays were favourable, and persistent fog in the Midlands attracted additional guests to the Bernese Oberland. Early bookings from the previous year also had a positive effect.

With the Magic Pass, better occupancy outside traditional peak times like Christmas or the sports holidays was achieved. Besides the mountain railways, businesses, especially in the ski area gastronomy, benefitted from consistently good frequencies.

The numbers confirm the trend: In December, hotel overnight stays increased by 9.5 percent. January saw a rise of 6.6 percent to over 49,000 overnight stays. In February, the growth of hotel stays continued with an increase of 5.2 percent.

January continues to gain importance. January, traditionally considered a quieter month, showed particularly pleasing development. This perception is increasingly changing. 'January is developing better from year to year. A classic January dip virtually doesn't exist anymore,' says Flurin Riedi, Tourism Director and CEO of Gstaad Saanenland Tourism.

International markets also contributed to the positive development: the US market grew by 21 percent in January, while Europe increased by over 15 percent. At the same time, there was continued strong demand from Switzerland and European markets like Spain or Italy in February. 'Events are an important part of our strategy to support the season more broadly,' Riedi is convinced. 'Formats like Maze Art Gstaad in February or the newly introduced Caprices Festival in March and the MICE business help us to specifically expand traditionally weaker months.'

The first winter with the Magic Pass already showed initial structural effects. A particularly noticeable effect was a more even distribution of guests throughout the season. The development indicates additional demand compared to the previous year, especially in businesses near pistes and holiday apartments.

On the mountain railways, the number of peak days with approximately 12,000 guests across the entire area with over 200 piste kilometres increased from two to six days. However, the frequency particularly outside the classic peak times increased significantly. In January, the average daily figure was around 4,700 guests, which is about 42 percent higher than the previous year.

Matthias In-Albon, CEO of the Mountain Railways Destination Gstaad, provides an assessment: 'The season was characterised by a significantly more even additional occupancy. The Magic Pass attracts snow sports enthusiasts from a wider regional catchment area: we observe many guests from Romandy as well as from the Bern region. At the same time, we were able to win back former Top4 guests for our ski areas.' The more stable demand significantly contributes to local value creation in mountain gastronomy: 'A more even occupancy helps us plan more reliably in gastronomy, eliminate previous structural deficits, and increasingly offer year-round contracts,' says In-Albon. 'This is an important step in retaining specialists in the long term.'

On the Glacier 3000, more initial entries were counted than in the previous year. 'Despite some weather-related restrictions in February, we draw an overall very positive balance,' says Bernhard Tschannen, CEO of Glacier 3000. 'The snow reliability already brought us very good visitor numbers in December, and in January we increased the operating days compared to the previous year thanks to better weather conditions. Currently, conditions continue to be excellent for ski operations until the end of April.'

Conversely, the holiday region of Gstaad is also a gain for the Magic Pass: 'Gstaad is a real strategic added value for the Magic Pass and strengthens our presence in the German-speaking part of Switzerland,' says Sébastien Travelletti, CEO of the Magic Mountains Cooperation. 'The destination connects the Bernese Oberland with the Vaud Alps and fits perfectly into our strategy of linking attractive mountain regions more closely with large population centres like Zurich, Basel, and Bern.'

In the area of public transport, Gstaad Saanenland Tourism and BDG sought collaboration with the railway companies. TPF and MOB offered for the first time each weekend a direct, transfer-free connection from Palézieux and Bulle to Gstaad and onwards to Zweisimmen with the new 'Train des Neiges'. This offering allowed guests from Gruyère a stress-free and sustainable access to the ski area—at the regular public transport fare and with Magic Pass discounts. Also new, from December 2025, BLS operated a direct weekend snow train from Solothurn to Zweisimmen, the central entry point into the winter sports area of Gstaad.

Different effects for the region's service providers. In the hotel industry, the balance is also positive. Christof Huber, President of the Hotelier Association of Gstaad-Saanenland and Director of Gstaaderhof, talks about a successful season. 'Room and gastronomy occupancy was very good, also thanks to various events and groups in the MICE segment. Overall, we draw a positive conclusion about the Magic Pass.'

In the luxury hotel sector, the influence is assessed differently. Andrea Scherz, General Manager and owner of the Gstaad Palace, sees primarily long-term effects. 'We do not believe that the Magic Pass has generated immediate additional hotel bookings in our segment. Its value lies in the long-term development of the region and securing strong mountain railway infrastructure as well as mountain gastronomy.'

The ski schools also showed a stable picture. Fabrice Thormann, head of the ski school Summer- & Snowsports Saanen-Schönried, reports a good season with satisfied guests and good piste conditions. However, a strong influence of the Magic Pass in the instruction business was not detected.

Additional value creation in the region. In addition to the hotel industry, other areas of tourist value creation also benefited. This is especially evident in the area of holiday apartments. Revenues via the platform gstaad.ch increased by 34 percent in January and February together compared to the previous year.

The snow sports youth also played an important role. In collaboration with GoSnow, over 1,300 students participated in snow sports camps. This corresponds to eight additional groups compared to the previous year. In the programme 'Deux im Schnee', bilingual snow sports camps, additionally, 430 young people from various cantons from Romandy and German-speaking Switzerland, along with 52 teachers, spent several weeks in the region.

Simultaneously, events like the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad or the aforementioned Caprices Festival supported demand during traditionally quieter times. Formats such as international corporate events or cultural events complemented the classic winter season and contributed to the occupancy in January and the later course of the season.

For Flurin Riedi, this winter season confirms several strategic approaches of the destination. 'The development shows that investments in a broader seasonal occupancy pay off. At the same time, it becomes clear that we must continue to develop infrastructure and mobility in the long term to be able to manage future growth well.

For further questions:
Gstaad Saanenland Tourism
Ariane Ludwig-Meichtry
Head of Marketing & PR, Media Spokesperson
Tel. +41 33 748 81 81
ariane.ludwig@gstaad.ch

Editor's note: Image rights belong to the respective publisher. Image rights: Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus