'Big sporting events do tend to make people more aware of what is available in a particular country. The football World Cup is always talked about in terms of the number of visitors it attracts and the knock on effect in terms of accommodation and property,' said Dave Nalhidan, of London consultants Property Europe.
In Switzerland it is expected that the country will benefit from an audience realising that there is more than just skiing and a winter rental season. 'I am absolutely convinced that holiday visitors, or at least some of them, might consider buying, certainly if they regularly visit Switzerland,' said Laurence Cederwall, manager of Swiss property firm Sunday Homes.
He points out that mountain property has always been popular in Switzerland because it benefits capital appreciation, good rental yield, tax advantages and possibly re-sell later on. But the number of people visiting the mountains in the summer is growing.
Also younger sports celebrities like motor racing's Lewis Hamilton help attract interest when they invest.
Austria also has mountains and an established winter sports season but seems to attract less interest from global property investors.
The increase in the number of visitors in the summer months is also regarded as important in the face of gloomy warnings that global warming will see and end to winter sports in the Alps. But research by the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research said the end of the sport in the Alps is unlikely before 2060.
For this reason, however, property owners regard it as a good idea to market summer in the mountains and year-round attractions. Golf courses, spas and mountain biking are popular in the Alps. Many resorts now open their ski-lifts for mountain biking in the summer, thus increasing the number of visitors.
However Euro 2008 also has the opposite effect and many holidaymakers are avoiding Switzerland and Austria at this time to keep away from the dreaded footie. Online travel agency lastminute.com says that the number of June bookings for Bulgaria is 151 per cent up on 12 months earlier, and believes there are two reasons – one it is a cheap destination but also holidaymakers want to get away from the football.
And it is not just those who don't like football who are staying away. John Bevan, managing director of the firm, commented: 'It would appear that it is too painful for UK fans to stay home and watch Euro 2008 without their team competing.
