Public swimming pools and baths in Switzerland have seen a sharp drop in attendance this summer due to partly gloomy weather. The fine weather at the end of August has not helped to turn things around, as figures from the country’s establishments show.
“Genève-Plage has had a very complicated season due to the weather,” said its director Christian Marchi. “The months of May and June were cold and rainy, and September is freezing.”
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Conditions were only good between mid-July and early September. A week before the closing (September 29), around 190,000 entries were counted, compared to more than 213,000 last season.
There was also a significant drop at the Delémont outdoor swimming pool: 71,414 entries were counted, compared to 82,294 in 2023 and 85,471 in 2022. The month of August (30,738 entries) saw a record influx, but the rest of the summer was disappointing.
No better in Fribourg
In Fribourg, the Bains de La Motta, which closed on September 15, saw 154,000 people pass through, compared to 156,000 in 2023. July and August were good but the start of the season suffered from the weather, the City said.
The municipal swimming pool in Bulle (FR) suffered a drop in attendance of around 20% (some 75,000 visits compared to 95,000 in 2023). The turnout at the return of the fine weather, during the school holidays, was far from enough to compensate for the start of the season which had been more than timid due to the weather.
Nor across the Sarine
The decline is even more marked in St. Gallen. The city’s baths recorded 155,000 admissions, compared to 202,000 in 2023, a drop of 30%.
In Zurich, the various public bathing areas saw more than 2 million visitors flock to them. That’s 400,000 fewer than in 2023, but still one of the four best results in history. The city says it is “satisfied” given the conditions. The season is extended until the end of October in some places.
>> On this subject, also read: Several outdoor swimming pools in French-speaking Switzerland are playing overtime
Good attendance at the Lido of Locarno (TI), which recorded a total of 185,000 visitors between May and July. Overall, including August, attendance is stable compared to last year.
In Basel, the three public baths received a total of 420,000 visitors, the fifth highest attendance in their history.
In absolute numbers, besides Zurich, the prize goes to Bern, whose baths and swimming pools were enjoyed by 1.6 million people (-5%). The legendary Marzili alone recorded more than 800,000 entries.
ats/juma
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