Swiss look to skiing for revival

Swiss hoteliers are confident that the forthcoming ski season will help stem some of the losses they have experienced since last month's terrorist attacks in the USA.

Leading a delegation to London of 14 general managers from Swiss Deluxe Hotels, Vic Jacob, managing director of the Suvretta House hotel, St Moritz, said: "In the short term the group and incentive market will decline massively until the end of the year. But the winter season will be less affected as Europeans switch from long-haul destinations to places closer to home."

It was too early to make a prognosis for summer 2002, Jacob added. Patrice Glogg, managing director of the Park hotel, Buergenstock, said he expected to be about £1m down on budget by the end of 2001 as a result of cancellations from the US market.

Swiss Deluxe Hotels is an association of 35 independent hotels in Switzerland representing 40% of the Swiss five-star hotel market.