The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Murten and Andermatt among world’s ‘best tourism villages’

Andermatt
Tourists and alphorn players mingle in Andermatt, central Switzerland © Keystone / Urs Flueeler

Andermatt and Murten belong to the “best tourism villages” in the world, according to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The two Swiss winners now benefit from worldwide media campaigns.

The accolade, being awarded for the second time, recognises rural destinations “that are embracing tourism as a driver of development and new opportunities for jobs and income, while preserving and promoting community-based values and products”, UNWTO said in a statementExternal link.

It also recognises villages for their commitment to innovation and sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental – and a focus on developing tourism in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Murten
Murten, in western Switzerland, is illuminated during its famous annual light show Keystone / Cyril Zingaro

A total of 136 villages were put forward for consideration by 57 UNWTO Member States (each member state could nominate a maximum of three villages) for the 2022 edition. From these, 32 villages from 18 countries across the five world regions were awarded the recognition.

For member state Switzerland, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) put forward Andermatt in canton Uri, Murten in canton Fribourg and Ernen in canton Valais. Ernen was not among the winners, the government said in a statementExternal link on Tuesday.

In addition to SECO, the Swiss Tourism Association (STV) and Switzerland Tourism were responsible for the Swiss selection.

Together with Gruyères, Saas-Fee and Val Poschiavo, which received awards last year, Switzerland now has five “best tourism villages”. Only Spain has as many.

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Only one in five people attend a religious service at Easter

More

Just one in five Swiss attend a religious service at Easter

This content was published on Only one in five people in Switzerland attend a religious service during the Easter period or give up meat or alcohol for at least one day of fasting. Around 25% of those polled see Easter primarily as a family holiday, according to the survey.

Read more: Just one in five Swiss attend a religious service at Easter
Posters condemning Stephan Schmidheiny's role in asbestos deaths in Italy.

More

Swiss businessman gets prison term for asbestos deaths

This content was published on Stephan Schmidheiny has been sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison by the Turin Court of Appeal in a case against the former Eternit executive over deaths linked to asbestos exposure in Italy.

Read more: Swiss businessman gets prison term for asbestos deaths
Swiss foreign trade booms in the first quarter

More

Swiss foreign trade booms in the first quarter

This content was published on Swiss imports and exports reached new heights in the first quarter, driven by the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors. Shipments to the US rose sharply.

Read more: Swiss foreign trade booms in the first quarter

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR