The Swiss Tourism Agency said on Thursday that it is trying to even out the flow of tourists throughout the year to protect the Alpine country from the risks of overtourism. (Related article | World Chocolate Day: 10 best cities for chocolate lovers)
Switzerland Tourism said it wanted to highlight the off-season and promote off-the-beaten-path destinations. (Pexels) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
Switzerland Tourism said it wanted to shine a spotlight on the off-season and promote off-the-beaten-path destinations.
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Speaking at a news conference in Zurich, an official said the tourism agency wanted to direct holidaymakers to “the right place at the right time”.
Switzerland tries to protect itself from the risks of overtourism
The agency’s president, Martin Neidegger, said “Switzerland does not have a general problem with overtourism”, but added that “there are temporary and local bottlenecks, which are well known in the industry”.
For example, the central Swiss village of Iseltwald saw a sudden influx of Asian tourists on the shores of Lake Brienz after the Korean Netflix series “Crash Landing on You” became a huge hit last year.
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The village, which has a population of about 400, decided to charge tourists 5 Swiss francs ($5.55) to take photos on the pier where the romantic scene was shot.
Niedegger said the Swiss generally have a positive opinion of the tourism industry, with a survey carried out by the institute finding that only 5% were concerned about it.
“The high Swiss franc is already a defence to limit access to mass tourism,” Damien Constantin of the Conference of Regional Tourist Directors told AFP.
In addition to a strong currency, the high cost of living also makes Switzerland an expensive country to visit, further limiting the risks of overtourism, he said.
Still, Niedegger said Switzerland Tourism wants to aggressively protect the tourism sector, which generates CHF43 billion ($48 billion) in revenues a year and 4.5 percent of the country’s GDP.
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The company plans to work with travel operators and enlist the help of Chinese online content creators to offer packages in off-the-beaten-path locations, such as hiking trails and e-bike tours in the premium winter ski resort of Davos-Klosters.
It has also launched a campaign to promote autumn tourism in an effort to extend the summer season.
“The aim of highlighting Switzerland’s diversity internationally is to encourage tourists to travel more widely, immerse themselves more deeply and stay longer in Switzerland,” the agency said.
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News / Lifestyle / Travel / Switzerland aims to avoid overtourism by emphasizing off-season and promoting unique destinations
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