Aegeri Valley - Sattel tops lits of tourist spots

The BakBasel Economic and Research Consultancy has voted the Aegeri Valley - Sattel tourist area to be most successful Swiss tourist destination area for 2015, not least for it hosting the spectacle of the 700^th anniversary of the Battle of Morgarten in 1315.
 
It was in this particular category, that of top Swiss destinations appropriate for day-trips and short visits, that, with its 5.7 points out of a maximum of six, the Aegeri-Valley Sattel area beat off competition from La Sarine, a river flowing for the most part through the canton of Fribourg, with 4.7 points. There followed the Lake Constance - St Gallen area, the region around Nyon in the canton of Vaud, the Freiamt, an area of the canton of Argovia which borders on Zug, and Schaffhausen which all gained 4.2 points. The rural canton of Basel, the Zurich Oberland, Swiss Knife Valley and the area around Morges, also in the canton of Vaud, also made it to the top ten.
 
It is not surprising that the extensive celebrations surrounding the Battle of Morgarten last year led to a 58% increase in overnight stays in the whole Aegeri Valley area.
 
Gaby McCalla, who runs the Hotel Restaurant Morgarten right next to the monument, was delighted with business last year, what with all the celebrations, the many guests, the theatre and the good weather. La Patrouille Suisse, the Swiss equivalent of the Red Arrows, also flew past, as can be seen in the photograph.
 
As is often debated after such monumental commemorations, to what extent can interest be sustained? In this case, as Martin Hofstetter of the Aegeri-Valley Sattel Marketing Group, explained, Morgarten is a name which every Swiss schoolboy knows. Hence, even as long as one year after the events of 2015, there are still many groups of tourists and schoolchildren who come to the information centre and go on to enjoy guided tours. Then there are also associations which come to hold banquets there. Not that it was the commemorations alone which led to the area coming top, after all, it had already reached number three in 2014 and number four in the year 2000.
 
In addition to its historical association, there are also other features to be enjoyed in the area for familes and old people alike, not to mention boat trips on Lake Aegeri and the countless opportunities there are for cycling and hiking. Then there are the revolving cable cars and the suspension bridge at Sattel-Hockstuckli, in addition to all the eateries where one can enjoy good food. “We notice our visitors from Lucerne and Zurich love this rural environment, providing them as it does with the opportunity to escape from a city environment for a few hours,” said McCalla, who also quite rightly mentioned the lovely view visitors can enjoy of Lake Aegeri from her terrace.
 
“While there are lakes all over Switzerland,” said Hofstetter, “there is only one Morgarten.”
 
Further information can be found on www.morgarten2015.ch.