Tourism professionals are relying on new concepts to protect Zurich from overtourism.
The Lindenhof is part of a tour of Zurich. In the first half of 2024, Zurich Tourism recorded 3.3 million overnight stays.
Imago
When Taylor Swift filled the Letzigrund Stadium twice in early July, tourism officials in Zurich rejoiced: Swift brought the city free marketing, full hotels and well-booked restaurants.
Zurich Tourism seized the opportunity and gave the “Swifties”, as the singer’s fans call themselves, tips for their stay in the city: go swimming in the Limmat, visit the botanical garden, eat momos at “Tenz”, get ice cream at Gelateria di Berna. In addition, each district of the city was assigned a Swift album.
Some fans had traveled to the concert from abroad, but many also came from Switzerland or the city of Zurich.
Zurich is not only a popular destination for concerts. Zurich Tourism records around seven million overnight stays every year. 2023 was a record year, and the figures for 2024 are also looking good, as the organization recently announced.
What was striking was that the group of tourists who came to Zurich from other parts of Switzerland grew the most. They accounted for around a third of all overnight stays, 8.6 percent more than in the previous year.
These are encouraging figures for tourism professionals. At the same time, they have to ask themselves in which direction tourism in Zurich should develop. Overtourism, which European cities such as Barcelona, Dubrovnik and Venice complain about, is something that is definitely not wanted here. A representative survey by Zurich Tourism last year showed that the majority of locals have a positive attitude towards tourism.
Various strategies are being put in place to ensure that there will be no masses of tourists in Zurich in the future. Next year, for example, a trial will be launched with “neighbourhood guides” that will introduce travellers to the city’s outskirts.
Zurich Tourism’s strategy of marketing the region as a starting point for various destinations in Switzerland has already been established. One reason for this is its size, said Guglielmo Brentel, President of Zurich Tourism, to the media on Thursday. In addition, crowd pullers such as the Eiffel Tower or London Bridge are missing.
When he joined the organization 28 years ago, they tried to market Zurich as a destination like London or Paris. But that made no sense at all. In international comparison, Zurich is more of a resort than a city. “Basel and St. Moritz are also part of the Zurich experience.”
A study commissioned by the organization entitled “Rethinking Tourism” has now shown that it is not just day and overnight guests who are of interest to tourism, but also the locals. They visit museums, eat in restaurants, attend concerts such as those by Taylor Swift. In doing so, they not only contribute to economic value creation, but also to the revitalization of the city. The keyword here is the “visitor economy.”
The study concludes that a broader understanding of tourism is necessary. Tourism management must be structurally anchored in urban strategies and politics. What exactly that means was left open by tourism experts on Thursday. Concrete measures must first be defined, said Guglielmo Brentel.
Zurich Tourism itself is usually reserved when it comes to political statements. But the organization has a clear stance on one point: in order for Zurich to remain an attractive city, shops must also be open on Sundays. The Federal Council plans to set up so-called tourism zones in Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne, Basel, Lausanne, Bern and Lugano. However, only shops that sell luxury goods will be allowed to open.
