The Key

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In Grindelwald, the views are stunning but the hotels are empty

cases of Covid-19 begin to fall, in the whole of Europe , lock have loosened and more travel is permitted. This is a relief for the alpine tourist resorts, to close the were forced, in The Middle of the ski season.

you can run cars This weekend, the Switzerland mountain Railways and cable again. In Grindelwald, home of the Eiger and The World famous Jungfrau "top of Europe " rail height 3454 (11. 332ft) - this is a Very Good news.

The Konzett family, who run the Kreuz und Post hotel in Grindelwald for four generations. If The Swiss government melted off a state of emergency in March, ordering the closure of schools, restaurants, Bars and all ski slopes, your business.

Summer in the Alps is not this silence, which since the war,

"says It was a big shock," the Hotel Manager , Benjamin Konzett was. "The bookings that we had... we lost them within a day, basically. "

"We had this hotel since 1886, and find a similar situation right now, we need to go Back To The Second World War , when everything was closed. "

such As Railways send an important signal

Grindelwald-Director for tourism, Bruno Hauswirth, believes the re-opening of The Mountain Railways is The Key to the tourists again. After All , More Than A Million people took The Train up to the Jungfrau in the Last Year Alone .

BBCThe signal is important, in order to show that the whole system, the whole tourism chain, is working again Bruno Hauswirth
head of the tourism, Grindelwald

But How To ensure to ask The Visitors , eager to in The North wall of the Eiger, or get close to the glacier, stay safe in the cog Railways or cable cars take you Up There ?

The Swiss government advice on maintaining a two-Meter distance from the other stands still.

They call the Jungfraujoch "top of Europe "

Kathrin Nägeli virgin trains there are no plans to reduce the occupancy. "Anyone who wants to Board a train with The Train ," she explains.

"But, say, if you do not keep the distance of two meters, you should wear a mask. We hope the people you take with you, but we also sell them to the stations, and our people working in the trains all wear masks. "

These are the same measures for the entire Swiss Public Transport with a slight difference. Switzerland speed intercity high-trains, you are not able to open the window. On The Mountain Railways, the trains and the rope.

such As the alpine resorts Caught Up in Europe , the pandemic

However, the Alpine communities know, there are questions about the safety of Crowded cable cars. to have

Popular ski resorts such as Ischgl in Austria and Verbier in Switzerland, believed, had high infection rates in February and March. As a skier was back home, They carried The Virus in the whole of Europe .

The outbreak in Ischgl, in Austria, led the infected to 800 Austrians, and up to twice as many abroad

So, doctors were alerted in Verbier, that They called on the government to quarantine the entire city. By this time, but The Swiss was already lock.

no one really knows yet how the typically Crowded après-ski Bars and Nightclubs the function is in the winter. As for the ski lifts, Kathrin Nägeli says: "we will see, in the Summer and fall, how things work in the trains and the cable cars, and maybe we can fit in for the winter".

such As resorts to promote hope, a healthy environment

a popular trip When the Alpine was the first destination in the 19Th Century , its natural beauty and the clean environment are the main attractions.

the British tour operator Thomas Cook at The Time , places like Grindelwald, marketed as places where the body and mind could recover.

The Konzett family, hotel, opened in the year 1886, in order to offer people a healthy break, Away from the Crowded , smoky cities.

Now Benjamin Konzett is the return to this concept. The pandemic, he says, allowed him to spend more time to appreciate The Environment he grew up in.

Benjamin Konzett (L) and His Family run their hotel for the generations

"During the lockout, everything was fresh with spring, The Mountain tops were still covered with snow, and we took The Time to go Back To nature a little bit with The Family . "

he explained the preparation of some of the Alpine delights for the Summer . "I gathered cowslips and elderflower Ice Cream for the Summer . "

Now he hopes tourists will forget about your winter-to ensure pandemic and select to recover the Alps from the stress and anxiety of The Last three months. "The whole world is meditating during this lockdown, and we found out that nature is stronger than mankind. "

tough competition for fewer guests

But the Alps face a hard competition from the Greek Islands and the Spanish beaches. Resorts across Europe are all trying to get at least something from the Summer .

In Grindelwald, where about 30% of the guests come from Asia, Bruno Hauswirth don't know, this Summer will be as good as The Last few years.

"But this means, almost 70% come from Europe , so We Are pretty confident," he says.

The three-month lockdown gave Grindelwald A Chance to reflect on exactly where his strengths were, he thinks: real mountains like the Eiger, together with "very intact nature, perfect air and clean water".

Like the other European countries doing this?

coronavirus lockdown measures, switzerland, tourism, alps

Source of news: bbc.com