Hikers at the Äscher-Wildkirchli guest house in Alpstein in 2018.
Keystone / Melanie Duchene
The northeastern Swiss canton of Appenzell Inner Rhodes, with its spectacular mountains and hiking trails, is extremely popular with tourists – too popular, according to local politicians who want to now clamp down.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SRF/sb
Italiano
it
L’Appenzello Interno propone di limitare il turismo di massa
Last year 1.8 million people visited the tiny region, mostly day-trippers. Many went hiking to picturesque locations like the Seealp Lake or the Äscher-Wildkirchli guest house in Alpstein, which gained worldwide fame after gracing the cover of a National Geographic book in 2018.
Instagram and other social media platforms, and the growth of hiking, is thought to be partly driving the recent growth in visitors that continues to this day. Tourism generates around CHF125 million ($136 million) a year in revenue for the region; every sixth job is directly related to welcoming visitors.
But local officials in Appenzell Inner Rhodes say the resulting full car parks, congested streets and overflowing rubbish bins cannot go on.
The local government has drawn up a tourism strategy that parliament debated on Monday, under the title “Where are the limits of tourism?” The strategy contains 15 measures, two of which aim to encourage fewer day trippers and more, longer overnight stays. A decision on the final strategy is still pending.
Roland Dähler, the local chief magistrate, told Swiss public television, SRF: “Everything has limits. It is our job to find a healthy balance between tourism and nature.”
More
More
Naked hikers turn the other cheek
This content was published on
Simon Enzler, a clothed cabaret artist from eastern Switzerland who uses the topic in his act, talks to swissinfo about what the average Appenzeller makes of it all and wonders where the nudist police are going to stick the SFr200 ($175) fines. In a world first, on April 26 the traditional open-air assembly in Appenzell,…
The city of Lucerne, which is a popular stop-off for coach tours and in particular tourists from Asia, wants to move away from mass tourism with its “Vision Tourism 2030” strategy. It would like to attract more guests from Switzerland and Europe, more congresses, and longer overnight stays.
Popular Stories
More
Life & Aging
Zurich: how the world capital of housing shortages is tackling the problem
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
Ex-sect member sentenced in Zurich for sexual abuse
This content was published on
Zurich District Court has sentenced a former member of the globally active sect "Children of God" to a partial prison sentence.
SNB chairman does not rule out slowdown in Swiss growth
This content was published on
Martin Schlegel, chairman of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), does not rule out a weakening of the Swiss economy in light of the tariff dispute.
Swiss NGOs abroad to receive 10% less federal funding
This content was published on
In 2025 and 2026, Swiss NGOs will have 10% less federal funding available for international cooperation than in the previous two-year period.
Swiss parties spent less than CHF1 million on February green vote
This content was published on
Swiss political parties spent CHF 700,000 ($840,000) on campaigns in the run-up to the overwhelmingly defeated vote on February 9, according to the Swiss Federal Audit Office.
This content was published on
Swisswool, the largest Swiss wool processor, is not accepting any wool for the first time this spring. For many sheep farmers, the only option is to get rid of the wool.
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.
Read more
More
Fans of Netflix series disrupt peaceful Swiss village
This content was published on
Fans of the South Korean TV series 'Crash Landing on You' are flocking to the Bernese village of Iseltwald. Not everyone is as delighted as they are.
Cliffhanging Swiss guest house seeks new landlords
This content was published on
A Swiss hotel and restaurant tucked into a rockface and made famous by a National Geographic magazine cover is looking for new management.
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.