The most successful alpine destinations

The alpine destination of Lucerne is in second place in the international ranking.Lucerne was the most successful Swiss destination in the 2014 tourism year, occupying an excellent second place in the international ranking of a total of 149 Alpine destinations surveyed. As before, the destination in central Switzerland is also the only Swiss destination in the top 15 of the "BAK Topindex".

According to this performance index, Lucerne was able to fill its hotel beds very well and also significantly increased its market shares. Such a good position for the entire tourism year requires success in both the summer and winter seasons. However, Lucerne owes its good ranking in particular to its outstanding performance in summer, where the destination even leads the ranking.Austrian destinations have the edgeIn the entire Alpine region, the Grossarl Valley is the most successful destination in winter as well as in summer. The Salzburg destination was already regularly to be found in the first two places in previous years. Primarily due to an excellent occupancy rate, Grossarltal moved up to first place in 2014. The Salzburg destination benefits from a strong accommodation structure with a high proportion of beds in the high-quality segment and comparatively few second-home beds.Third place in the "BAK Topindex" is occupied by Kleinwalsertal. The Vorarlberg destination is a permanent guest in the top ranks of the index and held the top position in the two previous years thanks to good values throughout the year. The top positions are due in particular to a high occupancy rate and very good profitability as well as the good positioning as a family destination and the connection to the ski area of the German destination Oberstdorf.Top positions for two Swiss destinations in summerThe top position in the ranking for the 2014 summer season is held by the Swiss destination of Lucerne. It achieved an outstanding occupancy rate and, with rising overnight stays, was able to generate a high return per overnight stay. Lucerne was already the most successful summer destination in the evaluation of 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Lucerne has a high density of attractions and benefits from its location on Lake Lucerne. Interlaken is the second Swiss destination in the ranking, in fourth place, where hotel capacity utilization is extremely good. Interlaken benefits in particular from the promising combination of mountains and lakes. In addition, the Bernese Oberland destination is very well positioned in the fast-growing Asian market, which accounted for around one-third of demand in Interlaken in 2014.2nd and 3rd place are occupied by the Austrian destinations of Salzburg and the surrounding area and the vacation region of Reutte. It is striking that many of the destinations that occupy the top 15 positions in summer also have a core city as part of the destination, along with the associated attractive cultural and other offerings. In summer, the top destinations are spread across the entire Alpine region, despite a focus on Austria. Two Swiss, one German, three Italian and nine Austrian destinations are among the top 15.Austrian destinations dominate in winterIn the winter half-year, the Vorarlberg destination Lech-Zürs leads the ranking. Since 2007, Lech-Zürs has always been in the top three positions in the ranking. The Tyrolean destinations Paznaun and Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis follow in 2nd and 3rd place in the ranking.With Zermatt in 14th place, the best Swiss destination just makes it into the 15 most successful destinations.In general, the winter shows an even clearer dominance of Austrian destinations. The top 10 are contested by Austrian destinations alone. In addition to Zermatt, two Italian destinations are among the top 15 destinations in the ranking.