More guests in the off-season. More direct bookings.
The facility is there anyway. The difference between a good and a bad year lies in the weeks when it's running too empty and in who takes the booking.
The situation, as we see it.
A mountain railway has a cost structure that barely breathes. Overhaul, personnel, maintenance, and concession requirements arise whether the cabin is full or not. Revenue, on the other hand, breathes heavily: it depends on snow, weather forecasts, and a few weeks of the year.
Added to this is the shift in booking channels. A growing number of guests book through platforms and portals that provide reach but retain the customer relationship. The commission is not the real problem here. The problem is that the operation doesn't know who visited and cannot address them directly next year.
And the off-season usually remains unused. Not because there are no offerings. Hiking trails, bike routes, panoramic terraces, and family experiences are all there. But because no one has turned them into a bookable product that can be promoted in May and sold in June.
This is precisely where the leverage lies. Not in more winter marketing, but in additional revenue from times when the facility is already operating, and in a direct channel that retains guest data.
What we do specifically.
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Seasonal Campaigns
Campaigns with lead time instead of ad-hoc actions. Paid reach in the relevant catchment area, coordinated with weather windows and holiday calendars.
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Combination Deals
Bundling with gastronomy, accommodation, or partners in the region. Higher shopping cart value per guest, without additional investment costs.
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Direct Booking Process
A booking process on your own website that's faster than the platform detour. Prices, availability, and combination tickets visible, completion in just a few steps.
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Google Business Profile
Current opening hours, operational status, photos, and review management. The first point of contact for almost every guest who makes a spontaneous decision.
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Off-season topics
Turning existing possibilities into bookable products: sunrise tour, family day, bike transport, hiking combo with provisions.
What that could look like.
Constructed example for illustration, not a customer case. Figures are assumptions.
Starting point
A medium-sized railway with strong winter and weak summer. Summer revenue primarily from walk-in customers, no online booking, combi-tickets only available at the counter.
What would be done
Define three summer products and make them bookable online. Launch campaigns from April within a 90-minute driving radius. Switch Google Business Profile to summer operation. Set up attribution before spending the first advertising dollar.
What would be measurable
Share of summer bookings completed online. Shopping cart value per booking with and without package deal. Cost per booked guest compared to margin. All quarterly, with the previous year as a baseline.
Sample ProjectDoes that suit you?
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01
The business generates at least CHF 800,000 in annual revenue.
Below that, the fixed costs and the advertising budget usually don't cover the bill.
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02
Direct bookings are possible without platform constraints.
If contracts mandate exclusive sales channels, the leverage is missing.
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03
There's one person who gets to decide.
A mandate with revenue responsibility does not work through three committees.
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04
Figures may be disclosed.
Revenue by channel and margin are the basis for any commission calculation.
Four 'yes' answers mean: The model is probably a good fit. A 'no' doesn't rule it out, but it's something to discuss in the initial consultation.