Raising the resort’s global profile  

Sophisticated, vibrant and chic, St Moritz is one of the world’s best-known ski resorts. Frequented by stars, artists and aristocrats, it is home to gourmet restaurants, grand hotels, luxury boutiques and high-end art galleries. Originally a spa town, it became popular with British thrill-seekers in the second half of the 19^th century, with the creation of the world-famous Cresta Run, followed by the Bob Run in 1904, establishing its reputation as the birthplace of winter sports tourism.

St Moritz saw its stature as the Alps’ premier resort grow as a result of hosting the Olympic Winter Games for a second time in 20 years. The only resort to hold that distinction at the time (it has since been joined by Lake Placid and Innsbruck), St Moritz enjoyed the benefits that came with global enthusiasm for the return of the Olympic Games following the tragedy and hardships of the Second World War.

Thanks to advances in radio communication, extensive media coverage was devoted to the event. This boosted the international reputations of St Moritz and Switzerland as winter sports destinations and helped to make them synonymous with Olympism. In total, 125 radio stations and 570 journalists from 38 countries covered the V Olympic Winter Games, with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) among four television stations to send reporters to the event.

As well as bringing a much-needed boost to the Swiss economy, which had suffered as war ravaged neighbouring countries, the staging of the Games for a second time helped the resort with its efforts to project itself to a truly international and sophisticated audience. It became one of the places to see and be seen in the post-war years, attracting celebrities including Audrey Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock and Andy Warhol.