Winter sports have a long tradition in the canton of Valais, but the region no longer relies solely on this former mainstay. The small tourist destination of Bellwald began to strengthen its summer offering years ago, and with success. According to the newspaper "Walliser Bote", Bellwald Tourism recently presented historic annual figures, as the destination recorded more summer than winter guests for the first time. The mountain bike offers also made a significant contribution to these figures.

These offers include the Bellwald Bike Park, which attracted a remarkable 280 percent more guests in summer 2021 and ensured over 240 percent higher visitor numbers. These impressive figures are due in part to the new mountain bike trails, such as the Family Flow Trail, as well as the newly established bike school for children. In order to take this trend into account, the Bikepark Vision 2024 will continue to improve the attractiveness of the Bikepark Bellwald, with more trails to follow next summer.In summer 2022, this success is unlikely to materialize, as the bike park will not be accessible due to the construction of a new chairlift. As a summer destination, Bellwald will be able to benefit from its investments again from summer 2023, and then the bike park should once again make a decisive contribution to the small mountain village's tourism success.From by-product to mainstay

In 2017, things were looking bad for the Wiriehornbahnen. A new chairlift and a poor winter sent the ailing company into debt-restructuring moratorium. It was also clear that winter operations in this low-lying ski resort were already struggling in the medium term, meaning that only a consistent shift in focus to summer operations could save the mountain lifts and therefore also the jobs.

Similar to Bellwald, Wiriehorn had also made a name for itself in the mountain bike racing scene. The annual international downhill races made the bike park famous. Although this by-product did not guarantee success in the summer business, it unknowingly laid the foundation for future offers. With the realignment, mountain bikers were suddenly named as one of the three main target groups alongside hiking and culinary guests, which would guarantee the operation of the Wiriehornbahnen in future and also preserve the associated jobs.The strategy proved effective, and towards the end of 2021 there was also a record to report in Diemtigtal: For the first time in its history, the Wiriehornbahnen transported over 25,000 guests during a summer season. Mountain bikers also made a significant contribution here and ensured a considerable number of visitors despite the often poor weather. These guest numbers are unlikely to be an exception. Thanks to the increasing attractiveness of mountain biking and the expansion of the infrastructure, a wider audience can also be expected on the Wiriehorn in the future.Sources:
Walliser Bote
Berner Oberländer
SRF