Swiss Lft Co's Golden autumn supports strong summer season

Swiss mountain railways are continuing their positive summer season. From the start of the season in May until the end of September 2026, first-time visitors across Switzerland are 10% higher than the previous year. Compared to the average of the last five years, this represents an increase of 28%. The current figures show that this positive trend is not limited to individual regions or destinations. Rather, mountain railways of varying sizes and at different altitudes are benefiting from consistently high demand.

For its seasonal monitoring, the Swiss Cable Car Association (SBS) analyzes the number of visitors (first-time entries) from over 140 members throughout Switzerland. The figures now available allow for an analysis of the start of the 2026 summer season, from May to the end of September.

Summer and early autumn offer ideal conditions

Following an exceptionally hot and dry summer, September also proved to be pleasant and stable across the board. The excellent conditions for hiking, excursions, and leisure activities in the mountains had a positive impact on demand. The mountain railways were once again able to confirm their position as popular destinations for excursions and leisure activities.

At the same time, this development cannot be explained by the weather alone. First-time visitors are not only higher than last year, but also significantly above the average of the last five years. This confirms the long-term trend that summer business is becoming increasingly important for many mountain railway companies. The continuous investments by mountain railways in attractive leisure, adventure, hiking, and biking offerings have also contributed to this.

Regional differences persist

Regional differences are evident. The Bernese Oberland saw the strongest growth, with an increase of 22% compared to the previous year. Graubünden (+13%), the Vaud and Fribourg Alps (+10%), and Central Switzerland (+7%) also recorded above-average increases. Valais (+2%) is slightly above the previous year's level, while Ticino and Eastern Switzerland remained at the same level as the previous year.

The results for Eastern Switzerland continue to be impacted by the suspension of operations of the Säntis cable car during its reconstruction. Without this one-off effect, Eastern Switzerland would also show a significantly positive result. Driven by the major tourist destinations in the Alpstein, Heidiland, and Toggenburg regions, as well as the positive performance of numerous medium-sized cable cars, first-time entries increased by approximately 25% compared to the previous year, even without the missing Säntis data. Several companies achieved record highs during the observation period.

Long-term development

Compared to the average of the last five years, the picture is even clearer. Across Switzerland, first-time admissions are 28% above the long-term average. The Bernese Oberland is particularly strong (+59%). The Vaud and Fribourg Alps (+31%), Central Switzerland (+30%), Graubünden (+14%), Ticino (+12%), and Valais (+10%) are also significantly above average.

Positive development in small and large companies

The analysis by company size shows that the positive trend is not solely driven by a few well-known tourist mountains. Both small and large mountain railway companies are recording significant increases compared to the previous year.

Companies with average transport revenue of up to CHF 2 million increased their first-time entries by 14% compared to the previous year. Large companies with more than CHF 10 million in transport revenue recorded a similarly high increase of 13%. The medium-sized category (CHF 2 to 10 million), however, saw more moderate growth of 3%.

These results indicate broad demand across much of the industry and show that the positive development is not solely driven by a few tourist hotspots.

Particularly in demand: Mountain railways at mid-altitudes

An analysis by altitude reveals an interesting picture. The largest increases were recorded by mountain railways at altitudes between 1,000 and 2,000 meters above sea level. Businesses at these altitudes increased their first-time visitors by 15% compared to the previous year.

In contrast, the increases for installations below 1,000 meters above sea level (+3%) and for high-alpine installations above 2,000 meters above sea level (+2%) were significantly lower.

The results show that the positive development was not solely driven by high-alpine destinations. Classic hiking, excursion, and recreation areas at mid-altitudes saw particularly strong growth.

Summer business continues to gain importance

The results of the seasonal monitoring confirm the growing importance of summer business for Swiss mountain railways. This positive trend is evident across various regions, company sizes, and altitudes. This underscores the attractiveness of the Swiss mountains as diverse leisure and tourism destinations.

“The current summer season shows that demand is broadly based. Not only individual large destinations are benefiting from this positive development, but also mountain railways of different sizes and from various regions. This confirms the high attractiveness of the Swiss mountains and the successful further development of many summer offerings,” says Berno Stoffel, Director of Swiss Cableways.