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150 years of winter tourism for Switzerland's Lake Geneva & Matterhorn Region
Switzerland Tourism hosted a red carpet event last evening, showcasing top attractions throughout the Lake Geneva and Matterhorn Region.
Voted Europe’s leading city break destination at the World Travel Awards, Geneva continues to gain traction – on par with trends in Switzerland overall.
According to Evelyn Lafone, market manager for the tourism office, visitor arrivals from Canada have been on an upward trend for the past decade and expected to continue as such for at least the next four years.
Coming up to the winter season, Switzerland is celebrating 150 years of winter tourism, which began in 1864. Recently, five of the top 10 choices in a study of the Best Alpine Ski Resorts by Innsbruck University were located throughout the country, including Zermat, Arosa, Adelboden/Lenk, Saas-Fee and Laax.
Events throughout the country will mark the 150th anniversary, including The Gourmet Festival 2015 from Jan. 26 to 30, which will showcase nine young, creative avant-garde star chefs from Great Britain’s top league. In addition, the House of Switzerland in Vail will be devoted to the theme of “150 Years of Winter Tourism” during the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships.
Ensuring Switzerland remains top of mind for travellers, the tourism board is participating in many events in Canada throughout the next few months, including Montreal en Lumiere from Feb. 19 to Mar. 1, 2015.
In other news, Switzerland Tourism is launching the Grand Tour of Switzerland – a 1,000-mile route to explore the highlights of the country on one single tour. It includes numerous sightseeing opportunities and gives visitors access to iconic spots for excursions along a route that they say leads through the most beautiful parts of the country, via various forms of transport (car, train, motor bike or bike).
In addition, as part of efforts to attract more female visitors, Geneva Tourism has launched a “Girl’s Guide,” which highlights must-visit spots as selected by local female representatives.
Throughout last evening’s presentations, the key take-away was the message of a diverse destination, perfect for ski vacations but also one with various art and cultural activities plus evolving gastronomic offers.
Pre-event, attendees were asked to vote on a favourite activity or attraction by Geneva Tourism, the Lake Geneva region and the Matterhorn region. From the top selections in each category, guests then selected a top choice overall, which was awarded to the Matterhorn Region.
For more destination updates, visit MySwitzerland.com.
Photo: Ursula Beamish, Switzerland Tourism - Canada; Phillipe Vignon, Geneva Tourism; Francois Michel, Lake Geneva Region; Bruno Huggler, Matterhorn Region; & Evelyn Lafone, Switzerland Tourism - Canada