Ski Season In Europe: Optimism Despite Omicron – DW (English)

Lifts at a standstill, empty mountain chalets and hotels — this is what the ski season looked like in large parts of Europe last year. Some ski resorts in Austria and Germany, for example, didn’t even open for a single day; a disaster for the tourism industry. This year, however, cable car companies and hoteliers were able to breathe a sigh of relief. Despite the rapid spread of the omicron variant, skiing was and is permitted everywhere, albeit under sometimes strict conditions.

“Above all we are very happy that the lifts are open again after the 2020/2021 winter lockdown,” Carolin Kunzmann of the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn told DW. However, she said, visitor numbers have remained below the normal levels seen before the pandemic. In the areas around Germany’s highest mountain, as in many ski areas in the country, the so-called 2G rule applies. “2G” stands for “geimpft oder genesen” — vaccinated or recovered. “Every guest is checked at the base station or at the ticket office,” Kunzmann said. “Only after proof of vaccination or recovery has been presented will their ski pass be activated,” she adds. Although this has led to longer waiting times, especially in the high season during the Christmas vacations, it has generally worked well. In addition, FFP2 masks are still mandatory in indoor areas, queuing areas, cable cars and ski lifts.

Austria: A muted start and plenty of après-ski anger

Austria also has strict rules for winter sports enthusiasts. The 2G rule and FFP2 masks are also standard here. Until mid-December, the country was still in a week-long lockdown due to soaring infection numbers. The Robert Koch Institute declared Austria a high-risk area, and the German Foreign Ministry accordingly issued a travel warning. Many guests, especially from Germany, were understandably put off by this, and 26 percent fewer holidaymakers than before the pandemic arrived from the neighboring country, according to estimates by the Austrian hoteliers’ association ÖHV. Germans are by far the largest group of tourists going to Austria. The occupancy rate of Austrian hotels in January was around one third, which, according to the ÖHV, is “too little to operate economically.”

“Of course, there are still a few vacancies this season,” confirms Beate Kassner, Managing Director of Zillertal Tourism. Nevertheless, she says, they are pleased with the booking situation. In the Alpine region, hopes are now pinned on business picking up in February — even though Austria has once again been declared a high-risk area. This has an impact especially on families with children that are unvaccinated. After returning to Germany, they will have to go into quarantine.

This is probably why many Germans prefer to stick to the slopes at home this winter. In fact, according to the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn, many Germans who planned to travel to Austria have changed plans and booked holidays at German ski resorts near the border. Yet a skiing vacation in Austria for those who are completely vaccinated was and is possible without major restrictions.

Although there is a curfew starting at 10 p.m., people in some places still indulge in après-ski partying — illegally, because strict COVID regulations apply to the hospitality industry. Criticism followed soon after, as excessive parties of this kind in Ischgl contributed to the spread of the coronavirus in Europe about two years ago at the start of the pandemic. On social media, Austrian entrepreneur Florian Gschwandtner was attacked for a video showing him partying exuberantly in Kitzbühel. Gschwandtner apologized and deleted the original video from his Instagram profile. However, it continues to circulate on other social media, including on Twitter. (Here someone tweets: “How stupid can you be 1. to post this on Instagram and 2. to party like this in the middle of the biggest infection wave of the pandemic!? Après ski, will be the downfall of us all … #covid19_at)

Switzerland: Booking figures are very pleasing

In contrast, the start of the season has been better in Switzerland, which is also deemed a high-risk area. “The booking figures were and are extremely pleasing, significantly higher than last year; we are even recording better figures than in 2019 and thus before the COVID pandemic,” said Sabrina Marcolin of Zermatt Tourism. International guests from France, the United Kingdom, Germany and even the United States also visited the resort at the foot of the Matterhorn over Christmas and New Year’s, she added. Jungfrau Railways in the Swiss ski resort around Grindelwald and Wengen even called it the best start to the winter season in ten years.

This could also be because of the less stringent coronavirus regulations in Switzerland. The 2G rule only applies to the hospitality industry, not to skiing itself, unlike in neighboring Italy, France, Austria and Germany. The Swiss Federal Council rejected a move to tighten the measures in mid-January. In addition, the previously applicable entry COVID-19 test requirement for vaccinated and recovered was suspended. However, Switzerland also has a mandatory mask requirement indoors and in cable cars.

Optimism despite the omicron wave

Even though the ski season has gotten off to a good start in many places, uncertainty remains. The omicron variant continues to generate new record infection rates in Europe. In Zermatt, people remain optimistic and confident despite the uncertainty in planning. In the past two years, they have learned to react quickly to changes and to implement appropriate measures.

The Bavarian Zugspitzbahn’s assessment is somewhat more restrained. They are taking it one step at a time.

This article was originally written in German.