Ski holidays in Switzerland: SBS expects no price increases for cable cars

The economic crisis of all things brought the operators of cable cars and ski lifts in the Swiss Alps a successful 2008/09 winter season. The cable car and ski lift operators in Switzerland now apparently want to pass this success on to their guests and largely refrain from increasing ticket prices. Peter Vollmer, director of the Swiss Cableways Association (SBS), has now confirmed that prices will remain unchanged, while making clear that some cable cars and ski lifts could see marginal price increases this coming winter, which would then be offset by reductions elsewhere.

Ski holidays in Switzerland are therefore unlikely to become more expensive than last winter, allowing tourists to plan on roughly the same budget. The economic crisis had also made itself felt in Switzerland, SBS director Vollmer said, leading many tourists to choose the local Alpine slopes over a holiday abroad and thus generating good business for cable cars and ski lifts. The SBS association represents more than 500 cable cars and ski lifts in Switzerland.

While the SBS announcement has no direct impact on the pricing policies of ski hotels in Switzerland, affordable accommodation is available there too. Switzerland is generally known for its somewhat higher prices than Austria, Germany, Italy and France, the other Alpine ski destinations. The 2009/10 winter season on Switzerland’s ski slopes and cross-country trails is about to begin and lasts until mid-May in most ski regions.