Fewer business guests for the hotels:

Due to the Corona crisis, the number of overnight stays in the canton of Zug has plummeted. So it’s now time to advertise the region as a holiday destination. The Federal Federal Wrestling and Alpine Festival (Esaf: Eidgenössiche Schwing- und Älplerfest) should help with this.

Holidaymakers were already a rare species in the canton of Zug before the Corona crisis, with almost all overnight stays in hotels being booked by business travellers. The majority of these business guests come from abroad – and bookings have fallen accordingly since the outbreak of the corona virus, says Stefan Gareis. He is president of Hotellerie Suisse Zugerland – the regional section of the national trade association – and director of the City Garden and Parkhotel Zug.  He says: "Due to the slump in air traffic, we are seeing almost 85 percent fewer guests in our region."

The industry is now going onto the offensive: In a year in which many Swiss will be taking their holidays in their own country, the hotel and tourism providers in Zug also want to draw attention to themselves and to compensate for at least some of their losses. Not an easy task, when you consider that the canton of Zug can be reached from many regions of Switzerland by car in less than two hours, and is therefore mainly suitable for day trips.

Peter Niederberger is aware of this. He is Managing Director ad Interim at Zug Tourism. "We have to see how we can attract Mr and Mrs Schweizer with our holiday offer." Zug Tourism has thereby taken the initiative and, together with the affected branches, has launched a tourist map of the canton of Zug within three weeks. A map as you know them from holiday regions: with discounted offers and free public transport. This has been presented to guests in Zug hotels since the Whit weekend.

The Esaf as a sign of hope
But the offer must also be conveyed to the outside world. The Federal Wrestling and Alpine Festival (Esaf) last August has therefore now proved to be a stroke of luck, explains Niederberger. "We first have to be able to compete with the offers from the mountain regions." And the first fruits of the marketing work for the Esaf could be harvested here. "Thanks to the Esaf, many more people now follow us via social media."

Photo 1: Through targeted actions, the tourism industry is trying to attract more holidaymakers to the Aegerital valley, for example.
Photo 2: The Esaf brought thousands of people to Zug from all parts of the country

In this way, you can reach people who have a positive memory of the canton of Zug, and who could be inspired to spend holidays in the region. "There were lots of guests at the Esaf who told us that they hadn’t really known about Zug before, and hadn’t realised how beautiful it is here," says Niederberger.

New guest structure even after the crisis is over?
The hotels are now facing the challenge of also making their business offerings attractive to holiday tourists. "But you can't convert a truck into a sports car," explains Stefan Gareis, the hotel manager - a business hotel cannot simply be quickly transformed into a holiday hotel. Nevertheless, many providers in the canton of Zug, such as the Parkhotel, will probably try to rethink – even for the longer term.

Stefan Gareis assumes that the international business will probably not return to the same levels, even after the Corona crisis has been resolved – due to changes in behaviour. The Parkhotel, for example, is currently advertising offers for families – even those with older children, and now has 25 holidaymakers staying over Whit. "One family lives only 30 kilometres from us, and they thought they would visit us again in the summer," says Gareis. Other hotels are also offering discounts (see box).

Discounts and offers
The Seminarhotel in Unterägeri is also suffering from the measures imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, writes Marianne Furter, Seminar&Banquet head. In addition to special discounts for seminars and events, the hotel also has special offers for private individuals. Marianne Furter adds that they are trying to raise the awareness of the light and water play at the hotel.

As a review of the websites shows, the Hotel Ochsen in Zug, the SwissEver Hotel in Lindencham and the Hotel-Restaurant Eierhals in Morgarten have also published offers to attract guests.

The Parkhotel in Zug has not yet received very many enquiries for the summer. "But we are convinced that we can still welcome one or the other guest in July and August," says Gareis. According to Zug Tourism, the full range of attractions is expected to be available for guests again up to August. With guided tours and local concerts – in compliance with protection concepts. "To bring back a piece of normality," as the tourist manager adds.