ANDERMATT, SWISS ALPS
Maureen Yeo, Regional Director, Asia
WHY VISIT ANDERMATT?
For travellers who are looking to escape the hustle and bustle of Singapore life to enjoy the great outdoors, Switzerland is an ideal destination with the VTL flight between Zurich and Singapore.
As a year-round destination, Andermatt, located in the centre of Switzerland, offers guests the very best of Switzerland with 365 days of adventures in nature — whether that be skiing or snowboarding in winter, playing golf or venturing on long, mountainous hikes in the summer months. Experiential travel is one trend that is expected to rise throughout 2022 and so people will be looking for destinations where they enjoy a new experience whilst connecting with one another, as well as with nature. We’ve seen heightened interest recently from Singaporeans who are looking to enjoy the great outdoors, with many of our investors and guests seeking an alpine lifestyle away from the city.
The beautiful, mountainous terrains allow us to host a range of outdoor sports events and for the non-sporty person, we have whole host of state-of-the-art spa facilities at both The Chedi and Radisson Blu. Appealing to non-sporty tourists, Andermatt Swiss Alps also has its own state of the art Concert Hall that features an exciting line-up of talented young musicians kickstarting our culture season.
Suiting Singaporean travellers, Andermatt also boasts a diverse dining scene featuring a collection of awardwinning restaurants, authentic local haunts, and even Asian favourites — specifically from the Michelin starred The Japanese at The Chedi. Andermatt truly does cater to every guest’s needs and demands offering fine cuisine and Swiss hospitality — up in the mountains or in the village.
HEALTH & SAFETY FIRST
In addition to the Covid-19 measures adopted by the Federal Office of Public Health, the canton and the industry associations at Andermatt Swiss Alps have also established guidelines for the protection of guests and residents as the pandemic continues. We ask all individuals to wear a mask when indoors in public spaces, adhere to social distancing guidelines of at least 1.5 meters, and to reserve activities or restaurants in advance to avoid overcrowding or disappointment.
Our motto here in Andermatt is ‘stay safe and have fun’ which not onlykeeps people safe whilst enjoying the great outdoors but we aim to protect them from Covid. For instance, we ensure our queuing areas have ground markings, barriers, and glass protection walls to create social distancing and manage the flow of skiers or snowboarders. In our cableways, we endeavour to always have windows open to create good ventilation and we have made it mandatory to wear masks on all closed gondolas and lifts. The usually busy Gurschen, Gemsstock, Disentis-Caischavedra, and Sedrun-Cuolm d aVi gondolas will also only operate with a maximum capacity of 70%.
We fully complying with government guidelines in our restaurants, where indoor areas of restaurants, bars, and lunchrooms are allowed only for vaccinated individuals or those who have recently recovered from it. For our events, we only allow vaccinated individuals or people who have recovered from COVID-19 to enter.
Ensuring accessible testing for COVID-19, we have a variety of nearby testing centers with the closest one available in Andermatt Kirchgasse 13 open daily for both ART and PCR tests.
THE RISE OF OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
Searching for ‘the greatest trip of all time’, tourists have become more discerning throughout the pandemic in terms of needs and demands, particularly within health, wellness, and connectivity. In a post-pandemic world, we’re expecting that people will be keen to re-connect with each other and with nature — Andermatt Swiss Alps caters to all of these.
In addition to active adventures, Asian holiday makers are looking for health and wellbeing factors, which are and have always been of the upmost importance in Switzerland. As a well-renowned wellness hub, holistic approach to health is not just a philosophy, but a lifestyle throughout the country. In Andermatt, there are plenty of spa facilities and wellbeing amenities at hotels like The Chedi Andermatt and
Experiential travel is one trend that is expected to rise throughout 2022 and so people will be looking for destinations where they enjoy a new experience whilst connecting with one another, as well as with nature.”
Radisson Blu. Each of the homes within Andermatt’s portfolio also feature communal, dedicated wellness areas for guests’ or residents’ rest and relaxation.
In the last few years, people have realized they no longer need to work in big cities. With remote working remaining prevalent as we move into 2022, our guests can enjoy visiting the alps while remaining connected to employees and clients back home.
TIPS BEFORE VISITING
If you want to see more than the usual cities of Zurich, Luzern, Bern, and Geneva, try to take at least two weeks to travel around as there is plenty to see! Switzerland is very connected by a fantastic train network, which I would recommend travellers to take full advantage of throughout their trip – whether that be to the mountains, to the cities, or travelling around the whole country. As there are limited Ubers outside of Switzerland’s big cities, I would also suggest travellers download the SBB Mobile app to help with local transportation or speak with their hotel concierge for assistance.
Switzerland is home to an amazing culture and diverse dining scene with local favorites including cheese fondue, rostis, and chocolate. Tourists are always looking to enjoy the very best of Switzerland’s traditional cuisine and for that, I would suggest going to local, family-owned restaurants as they usually serve hearty meals and offer friendly advice of where to go in the local village or even who to hire for guides.
Although Switzerland is home to a range of different languages, most people speak good English so Singaporeans need notworry about communicating throughout their trip.