Does Swiss image need rescue after Swissair fiasco?

Johannes Matyassy says Switzerland's image hasn't suffered much after the collapse of Swissair Keystone

The collapse of Swissair has provoked anguish in Switzerland, but how much damage has it done to the country's image abroad?

Not too much, according to the man in charge of promoting that image.

“There’s a big divergence between the notion we have of our image abroad and the view foreigners actually have about us,” says Johannes Matyassy, director of Presence Switzerland, the foreign ministry body responsible for selling a positive image of the country outside its borders.

“I don’t think this will have a lasting effect on Switzerland’s image abroad. If the new carrier works well, people will soon forget,” he says.

Adverse publicity

Presence Switzerland was created as a response to the adverse publicity surrounding the dormant Holocaust-era assets, which did have a long-term impact on the way Switzerland is perceived in the world, and especially in the United States.

In recent weeks, a number of events have threatened to dent still further Switzerland’s once gleaming reputation: the Swissair meltdown, the massacre of parliamentarians in Zug and renewed attacks on Swiss banking secrecy.

Matyassy says the Swiss have a tendency to create “psychodramas” and believe that other countries attach just as much importance to them as they do.

These episodes have shocked the Swiss, but, according to Matyassy, they have been treated in an even-handed way by foreign media. A survey conducted by Presence Switzerland among the country’s embassies around the world showed that the Swissair crisis had been covered in an objective and moderate way – except in Belgium, where the affair has had serious repercussions for the Sabena airline.

“The worst aspect of this was the way we managed the crisis – the grounding of the planes, the passengers who were told their tickets were no longer valid,” Matyassy told swissinfo. “That wasn’t the kind of treatment these people expected from Switzerland.”

One must be careful not to confuse Swissair, a private firm, with Switzerland. The collapse of one company does not mean that the country’s good reputation for high quality services and products has been tarnished.

Yet, the airline, with the Swiss flag painted on its tail fins and its good reputation, was regarded by many as a strong and positive ambassador for the country, hence the anguished response to its demise in Switzerland.

Balanced picture

There are some who believe the Swissair collapse is an ideal opportunity to present a more balanced picture of Switzerland, and show that it is like many other western countries.

Indeed, it is one of Presence Switzerland’s aims to sell a credible, real Switzerland that doesn’t consist merely of chocolate, cheese and watches. That means telling the world about its direct democracy, its high-tech industries, its humanitarian traditions and its multiculturalism.

“Switzerland was regarded as perfect and untouchable. Swissair showed that Switzerland has its weaknesses too. That is not necessarily a bad thing,” Matyassy says.

“One positive outcome is that the politicians and businesses have shown that they can handle the crisis,” he adds.

Matyassy acknowledges that one thing that would make his job easier would be to have an international platform that would make it easier to bring Switzerland’s message to a wider public. That is, membership of the United Nations and perhaps even the European Union.

by Roy Probert