Indians flock to Switzerland's Engelberg-Titlis multi-activity mountain trail (Travelogue)

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It's home to the world's first revolving cable car, a glacier cave, a Cliff Walk over Europe's highest suspension bridge, a multi-seater open-to-the-sky Ice Flyer chair lift and a glacier park - to name just a few of its attractions.

Thus, it's little wonder that over two lakh Indians contribute to the annual 1.2

India million footfalls at the Mount Titlis activity trail that stretches 3,000 metres

upwards from this village resort, some 150 km from Swiss capital Bern.

What has also contributed is that the area is also the darling of the Indian film industry.

"The Indian film industry is fond of Titlis. Bollywood and southern cinema come here to shoot. One of the biggest Bollywood hits, 'Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge' was shot all over Switzerland including Titlis. We have preserved the cutouts of Shahrukh Khan and Kajol at Mount Titlis to celebrate the success of the movie. People from India feel very happy and proud after seeing these cutouts and strike a immediate liking for the place," Tobias Matter, Sales Director of TITLIS Engelberg a 400-employee company that manages various activities in the area, told this visiting IANS correspondent.

The ever-increasing penchant among Indians to spend more on holidays has caught the attention of the tourism industry the world over and Switzerland is no exception. Which explains why Swiss Tourism has roped in many Bollywood biggies to aid in its marketing.

"Bollywood heartthrob Ranveer Singh is the brand ambassador of Swiss Tourism. Ranveer recently visited Titlis for shooting a promotional video. Apart from Ranveer superstars like Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Sushant Singh and many more visited Titlis in recent times. Every time a star visits Titlis, my job becomes easier because this is the age of social media and with the help of different platforms, Tilis gets a lot of promotion," said Mumbai-based Rayomand Choksi, who represents TITLIS Engelberg in India, the Middle East, Japan and Australia.

"India is very important for us. Almost 10 percent of our business comes from India. Indians are fond of Switzerland and especially Engelberg for its scenic beauty and great hospitality. Unlike people from another part of world Indians come here to enjoy snowfall and we feel privileged to host them in different ways," Matter, whose company owns the 180-bed Terrace hotel and three restaurants in the area, said.

Apart from skiing, which is highly popular, what is also catching the fancy of visitors by the day is the Cliff Walk. "The Titlis Cliff Walk holds the record for being the highest suspension bridge in Europe. It is just one meter wide and over 100 metres long. The views of the abyss below are breathtaking! Everyone enjoys this adventure," Matter noted.

Frederic Fussenich, Director of Engelberg-Titlis Tourism, also believes that Indians are very important for the region.

"I firmly believe that Mount Titlis should be on the bucket list of every Indian. They should come here at least once in their lifetime. With the growing awareness about this region and wish to experience the snow, the glacier caves, go over the high suspension bridge and get the whole feeling of being on the mountain of love as it is called, it's very important to give Mount Titlis place in your travel plans." Fussenich told IANS.

(Jayant K. Singh was in Switzerland at the invitation of Swiss Tourism. He can be reached at jayant.k@ians.in)

--IANS

jayant/vm