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A foreign view of Switzerland

From an outsider’s perspective, Switzerland’s alpine scenery and iconic attractions haven’t changed over the years. But what has changed is the outsider.

From the 19th century to the end of the 20th, visitors to the country came mostly from western Europe and North America. The exception were the Japanese.

Now, Chinese and Indian tourists outnumber the Japanese, and they have been joined by large groups from the Gulf states. These new ‘outsiders’ have become in many ways part of the landscape in the most popular alpine areas.

(Photos: Keystone, Ex-press, Photo 13, Ti-Press, picture editor: Ester Unterfinger, text: Dale Bechtel)

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