The Engadin Corona Task Force has ended its activities for the time being. With two surveys, she completed her work for tourism and communities in Südbünden. Municipalities and companies in the region consistently rate the importance and activity of the task force very highly.
21 months after its founding, the “Corona II Engadin” task force has completed its work. Finally, in two separate surveys, the municipalities and service providers in the region rate the importance of the task force for the region and its activities as very high.
Both the municipalities between Bregaglia, Brusio, Val Müstair and Samnaun as well as the companies and tourism service providers in the region rate the work of the task force 8.6 out of 10 possible points. While companies appreciated the latest information about the current pandemic rules, municipalities particularly praise the regular information from the St. Moritz Test and Vaccination Center. Local companies and tourism providers rate 8.5 out of 10 points for the fact that the municipalities of the Maloja region have partially financed the task force and have regularly exchanged ideas with it.
They also highly rate the commitment of Engadin St. Moritz Tourismus AG (ESTM), which primarily financed and staffed the task force. “The pandemic was a very big challenge for Engadin. We are delighted that our commitment in the region is now so highly appreciated,” says Jan Steiner, member of the ESTM Executive Board and Co-Head of the Task Force. “The feedback from the guests has also been consistently positive. They obviously felt well informed, safe and comfortable in the Engadin.”
In teamwork between all participants
The task force had set itself the central task of providing reliable information to service partners and guests. “Coping with an exceptional situation can only be achieved if all parties involved work together. A solid information base and uniform regulations are the basis for this,” says crisis manager and co-head of the task force, Christian Gartmann. “Today, we can say that this teamwork worked well in our region. This is probably one of the reasons why Engadin got through the pandemic comparatively better than other destinations in the Alpine region.”
Although the infection figures are still very high, they hardly lead to severe disease progression. “With a view to summer, we can hope for a renewed relaxation. Traveling within Europe is much easier again and we hope to welcome numerous guests from Switzerland and the EU,” says Jan Steiner.
After 58 meetings with municipalities, 84 newsletters to companies and tourism service providers in the region, and around 20 media releases, the task force has now discontinued its activities, but it will not be completely dissolved. “We are continuing to monitor developments. The infection figures are likely to rise again in autumn, but we firmly hope that the pandemic of more than two years will now come to an end and that the course of the disease will remain as mild as they are now,” says Christian Gartmann, who set up the task force. “Should our efforts become necessary again, we are ready. But we all really hope that we can now move on to other things again.”
The Corona II Engadin Task Force
The most important sectors of Upper Engadin tourism, healthcare and the destination organization Engadin St. Moritz Tourismus AG (ESTM) founded the “Corona II Engadin” task force in July 2020. It set itself the goal of supporting businesses in the Maloja region during the pandemic. At the invitation of the task force, all municipalities of Südbünden met between November 2020 and April 2022 for a weekly exchange of information about the pandemic and discussed their measures to do so.
The task force also coordinated its activities with cantonal authorities and supported them with larger projects. The task force was financially supported by Engadin St. Moritz Tourismus AG, the municipalities of the Maloja region, several other municipalities in Südbünden and Tourismus Engadin Scuol Samnaun Val Müstair. It was led by Jan Steiner from ESTM and Christian Gartmann, who launched it in 2020.