Every January for the last 50 years, the Swiss Alpine town of Davos-Klosters has been the location where epic issues of the planet are discussed. Around 2 500 internationally known leaders from all walks of life are anticipated to attend the upcoming World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting and shape the political, economic and social agendas, making the world a better place.
As the meeting point is so high up in the Alps and the Swiss winter conditions can be challenging, along with logistics and security, getting to WEF Davos from Zurich or Munich has to be entrusted to experienced transportation professionals.
With the aim of cutting the travel time to Davos to a minimum, many of the high-profile participants will arrive by a helicopter, reducing the journey time between Zurich and Davos to approximately 40 minutes. However, helicopters usually get no clearance due to bad weather or other top-level arrivals, so it is highly recommended that one has a car on standby in case of any last-minute flight cancelations.
Private jets are another way of traveling, having to take off at small St. Gallen – Altenrhein Airport which is near the town of St. Gallen. The passenger will then be transferred by a vehicle with a personal chauffeur. It can take about 1 hour and 45 minutes of driving to Davos.
The downsides of the methods are the relatively high costs as well as the time it is necessary to spend at customs and immigration.
Nevertheless, the majority of attendees prefer limousine service either from Zurich or Munich. Apart from the luxury and style it offers, it provides much needed flexibility and security. All the vehicles entering the security zones have to comply with the Greener Davos Concept and meet the 2020 emission rate standards, which expert operators are aware of and prepared for. Of course, each vehicle has to have four-wheel drive for the ultimate dependability on the road in case of any adverse weather conditions.
The 2020 meeting is expected to be one of the most sustainable international conferences ever held. Awarded the IS0 20121 standard for sustainable events in 2018, the Annual Meeting is fully carbon neutral through reducing, calculating and offsetting event-related emissions. According to the WLTP, for the cars of up to 7 seats, the maximum 2020 CO2 emission rate is 204g CO2/km, whereas it is 258g CO2/km for the vehicles with a minimum of 8 seats.
Numerous car brands are hired for the occasion, but Mercedes-Benz has been among the most requested ones for decades. It has always been synonymous with quality, comfort, safety and innovations, and that is exactly what is essential for getting the heads of state, executives and thought leaders to the WEF event. Some of the most commonly used vehicles include the late-model Mercedes-Benz E-Class, S-Class, V-Class and Sprinter.
The luxury has its price though: Traveling to Davos with a hired chauffeured vehicle from Zurich Airport, or vice versa, costs from 850 to 1 500 francs. Having a car at your disposal during the entire duration of the WEF, including the pickup and drop-off at the Zurich airport with meet-and-greet service, can cost from 12 000 francs, depending on the exact model, passenger capacity and number of hours required.
Before you commit to a limo service provider for the four-day Davos Annual Meeting at the altitude of 1560 m, make sure you are an informed purchaser. Above all, you should check their customer service, fleet information, references, reviews and number of years in the business.
The reputation of the selected limousine service company, such as Limos4, ought to match the caliber of the WEF summit. This way, you won’t have to worry if they pay attention to all the details, respect your privacy and demonstrate efficiency and professionalism in all aspects.
The WEF is doing its best to shed its image of being ‘the global gathering of the global elites’ by discouraging the participants from using private jets and limiting the number of limos, so it remains to be seen whether and to what extent it would be respected and if it would bring any results eventually.
