Tourism began in the pretty Swiss town of Andermatt in 1872 with the debut of the Grand Hotel Bellevue, which attracted visitors to central Switzerland with the promise of clean, invigorating Alpine air during summer and sleigh rides through the 
snow in winter. When the nine-mile Gotthard rail tunnel opened in 1881, connecting Göschenen with Airolo, Andermatt was linked to the wider world and flourished until World War I brought its first golden age to a sudden end.