No skiing, but still mountaintop luxury at 2021 World Economic Forum near Lucerne

ZURICH (Reuters) - There won’t be any snow but there will still be a dramatic Swiss mountain backdrop when the world's elite gather for the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting near the city of Lucerne next year.

Buergenstock, in central Switzerland, has been chosen to host the May meeting of world political and business leaders, over Davos, the Alpine ski destination synonymous with the annual jamboree.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced the WEF to move the meeting from the resort that has hosted the high-profile event since the early 1970s but it said it aimed to return to Davos for the 2022 annual meeting.

The WEF rescheduled the 2021 annual meeting to May 18-21 as a combination of in-person and remote digital events via a network of 400 hubs around the world.

For those Wall Street bankers and Silicon Valley investors able to make it in person, Buergenstock still offers luxury hotels, fine-dining and mountain pursuits - albeit on foot rather than on skis.

"The meeting will take place as long as all conditions are in place to guarantee the health and safety of participants and the host community," the WEF said in a statement.

The 2021 meeting will be held around the theme of "The Great Reset" to plot a path to recovery from the pandemic "and rebuild a more cohesive and sustainable society".

(Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Toby Chopra)