TravTalk India Online Magazine
Mt Titlis’ vision to ensure that its clients have an enthralling experience is well on track with new development and upgrades like a redesigned mountain station and the iconic tower. By 2029, Titlis will be home to world-class architecture, including an improved infrastructure for environmental sustainability.
Hazel Jain
The pioneering spirit of Mt Titlis will be both tangible and visible over the coming years. An overhaul on a huge scale is already underway and the entire project is supposed to last six years. The first two years of this project have passed by, and everything is on schedule in spite of adverse weather conditions over long periods.
As planned, the Titlis Connect cable car will be ready by December 2024, reveals Rayomand Choksi, Regional Sales Director, Mt Titlis, who represents Titlis Engelberg in India, the Middle East, Japan and Australia. “However, it shall not be put in operation as the tunnel to connect this new cable car to the Titlis Tower opens in the next phase in December 2026. The Titlis Tower will host some our new restaurants, including a new fine-dine restaurant and an exciting viewing gallery. As soon as the restaurants in the new Titlis Tower open, we shall secure and make safe the Rotair cable car entry and exit points and then dismantle the existing cable car station,” he shares.
A new cable car station with ultra-modern facilities will then be built around the existing Rotair entry and exit points. The Gen Next station will be the most modern cable car station so far built in the Alps. The entire project has been designed by the famous architectural firm of Herzog and de Meuron. “We do not expect any inconvenience for our visiting guests. In fact, the first two years have gone by smoothly with hardly any guest even noticing that construction is in full swing. Most of the work in the season is undertaken at nighttime and only the non-invasive and silent construction is being done during the day. All our facilities are fully operational and will continue to be so. Hence the travel agents and tour operators will be able to sell Mt Titlis as they have always been doing, without a hitch and all services guaranteed,” Choksi ensures the trade.
The evolving Indian traveller
Sharing his perspective on how the Indian traveller visiting Switzerland has changed, Choksi says, “We do find a gentle swing in numbers from the traditional group business to the individual traveller especially after the pandemic. Whilst the group business is still playing catch-up, the FIT figures have far outstripped the 2019 pre-covid numbers. We also find the average age of the Indian traveller to be much lower and hence they are spending more time in enjoying the various activities like the zip-line in summer and the snow bikes in winter. Also, Indian food, for the new generation is not a prerequisite and, in fact, they are quite experimental with the local cuisine.”
This he attributes to his trave trade partners. He says, “Thanks to our well-informed travel agents and tour operators who continue to propagate the Mt Titlis excursion, India has now become the number one overseas source market. Mt Titlis continues to reinvent itself to ensure it remains on the top of the mind of all visitors to Switzerland. All our unique selling points of the Rotair, the Ice-Flyer, the Titlis Cliff Walk and the Glacier cave makes it a one-of-a-kind experience. The various activities in the snow in winter coupled with some extra activities in summer, along with sumptuous Indian food, makes it the most comprehensive mountain excursion.”
