Interlaken is a world-famous tourist destination with spectacular views in a stunning environment in the heart of Switzerland and is easily reachable by car or train, including direct ICE train connections to Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg.
Several internation airports are within reach:
| Bern | Zurich | Geneva | Basel | Milano | Paris | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rail | 1h20 | 2h15 | 3h | 2h15 | 4h | 5h |
| Road | 0h45 | 2h | 2h15 | 2h | 3h30 | 6h30 |
Interlaken is surrounded by many other well-known tourist destinations, ski areas and mountain trains, such as the famous "Jungfraujoch".
Tourism has seen continued growth over decades. However, growth has hit a ceiling due to lack of:
Despite having the well-known luxury hotel Victoria-Jungfrau, most of the remaining hotels do not correspond to the expectations of international tourists, as these hotels are typically small and have limited quality standards. Furthermore, Interlaken lost 25 hotels with 3569 beds in recent decades. Also, there is an absence of large, international hotel chains, despite the attractive environment. The lack of hotel rooms leads to very high occupancy rates and price levels during the main season. The structure of the hotel offering makes it difficult to organize events at the local convention center. An investment in hotels would not only benefit from an interesting main season but could also attract events aside the main season.
Interlaken is famous for its various mountain trains, outdoor attractions and adventure sports. However, during periods with unsuitable weather visitors have a very limited offering available. An interesting all-weather capable entertainment offering would fill this gap, attract additional visitors from nearby areas and benefit events – further increasing occupancy rates outside the main season. Interlaken is also well-known for its luxury shopping opportunities, especially watch shopping is popular among tourists, generating an estimated 500 MCHF annual revenues.
The investment object is the existing Jungfrau Park, which is currently in lean operations. With a suitable investment it could be revived and turned into a profitable object – as it has been for multiple years in the past:
- Existing Jungfrau Park
- Built in 2003
- Construction cost: 83 MCHF
Investments need to be made in new entertainment offerings and hotel capacity. An existing building ordinance supports the obtainment of building permits. There is even a project for a 4-star hotel with 200 rooms with a valid building permit. There are large open areas aside of Jungfrau Park suitable for further expansion.
The park is built on land consisting of two plots:
- Building plot: Total 73'207m2, 29'283m2 available for construction, 11'460m2 currently free
- Parking plot: 28'0294m2 with 1200 parking spaces
The land is owned by the Swiss Confederation and under an attractive land lease agreement until 2099. The building plot could be acquired.
Facilities 1-5 are fixed facilities providing common services:
1. Entrance building
2. Connection hallway
3. Gastronomy and shopping
4. Event center with a capacity for up to 3000 persons
5. Tower with exclusive gastronomy and event offering
Buildings A-G are lightweight constructions with entertainment offerings.
Location H: Site with an approved 4-star hotel project with 200 rooms (3000m2) and it could be extended to 400 rooms (6000m2).
Locations I-Q: Available for new constructions (1200m2 each) and could be used (and potentially be combined with existing buildings) for additional entertainment offerings or hotels. Maximum permitted building height is 20m (with certain exceptions allowed).