Holiday apartment market in the Alpine region shows stable demand despite price decline
Swiss destinations lead the price ranking for Alpine holiday flats according to the UBS Alpine Property Focus 2025. Engadin/St. Moritz remains the leader in the Alpine region with a minimum of CHF 22,300 per square metre. Overall, prices for Alpine holiday flats rose by 2.3 per cent last year amid high demand.
The UBS Alpine Property Focus 2025 evaluates the development of the holiday apartment market in the Alpine region. Five Swiss destinations top the price ranking. Engadin/St.Moritz GR takes first place with at least 22,300 francs per square metre. The top 5 are completed by Verbier VS, Zermatt VS, Gstaad BE and Andermatt UR. Prices for Alpine holiday flats rose by 2.3 per cent last year amid high demand.
The emergence of hybrid forms of work after 2020 triggered the current high demand, according to a press release from UBS. Alpine holiday flats have become around 30 per cent more expensive since 2020. The year 2024 saw subdued price increases in the Alpine region. Prices in French and Italian destinations rose by an average of 4 per cent and in Swiss locations by 3 per cent. In Austria, they fell by 3 per cent.
“In the short term, the price trend in the Alpine region is likely to weaken further over the next few quarters,” says Maciej Skoczek, property economist at UBS and lead author of the study. Alpine holiday flats are in high demand, but the subdued economic outlook and inflation are weighing on households, says the economist.
The study assesses the prospects for Swiss property positively. In the face of geopolitical turbulence, this property is very popular as a safe investment. Lower mortgage interest rates and a low supply of holiday flats are also supporting Swiss prices.
The study sees risks for the holiday apartment market in regulatory intervention: The relaxation of the Second Homes Act is likely to ease the supply situation, while the planned tightening of the Lex Koller will regulate property purchases for foreigners more strictly, according to UBS. These interventions will dampen the price trend in the luxury segment.