The proportion of non-skiers has always been high in the Saanenland. In order to offer them corona-compliant winter experiences as well, Destination Gstaad has massively expanded its range of offers.

He is pleased with the Federal Council’s statement that the Swiss ski areas can remain open, emphasises tourism director Flurin Riedi. “Our mountain rides do everything possible to ensure the greatest possible protection for our guests.” Thanks to its location, the region has a decisive advantage over other areas: “There are many different options to get from the valley to the top. There is no bottleneck, where a single gondola has to take guests up the mountain. We also have many t-bars, chair lifts, etc., which do have a kind of fresh air guarantee.”

Desire for a holiday in the snow
The focus this season is explicitly on Swiss guests, emphasises Riedi. Even if some European countries do not open their ski resorts, he does not expect a significant turnout of foreign guests – with the exception of those who have never left. “We have always had a high percentage of non-skiers,” Riedi emphasises. “We were already very well positioned in this respect. But we assume that the demand for such offers will continue to grow, which is why we have again invested massively in this area.” These alternative offers are not competing skiing or snowboarding, but complement them. Even without the pandemic, the expansion of offers for non-skiers would be a major strategic area in the development of the destination.

The destination boasts a winter hiking trail network of 30 routes and between 70 to 80 kilometres of marked snowshoe routes. There has also been significant investment in the existing network of cross-country ski trails. For example, cross-country offers in Schönried, which serves as an entrance point to the cross-country experience in the region, is being redesigned and two snow lances are in use in this area. For some years now there has also been an increase in ski touring in the region. Riedi is convinced that this trend will continue this winter. A total of ten tour suggestions are listed on the digital tour platform.

Further offers
The children’s ski area in Saanenmöser is to be expanded and made more attractive for children. Four new Genussliegen (specially inclined benches that can be found all across the region) and another huge fondue caquelon have been installed and the popular fondue huts have been re-equipped and freshened up. Even BBQ options are available this winter. There is a barbecue hut along the winter hiking trail in Turbach and the popular BBQ area above the Horneggli mountain station should also be partially available in winter.

Digital access
All the information regarding the winter offers is accessible online. This allows the tourism organisation to update the information continuously, which is more important than ever due to the coronavirus. The aim is for guests to find all the relevant information with just a few clicks.

BASED ON AVS/ANITA MOSER