September 11 attacks prompted WEF move to New York
The World Economic Forum's decision to move its 2002 summit to New York was prompted by security concerns following the September 11 attacks, WEF officials said on Wednesday.
Economics Minister Pascal Couchepin said at a press conference on Wednesday that the Swiss Cabinet regrets the summit transfer, but it understands the WEF organisers’ security concerns.
André Schneider, director of the WEF, emphasised that the shift to New York is for next year’s meeting only.
“We are not turning our backs on Davos,” he said. “The strongest message against terrorism is to hold the WEF in New York.”
Justice Minister Ruth Metzler will contact canton Graubünden on Thursday to obtain agreement on steps that can be taken to improve security.
On Wednesday the Swiss press reacted positively to the decision, but there was concern that the WEF could disappear from the Swiss agenda forever.
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung worried that the move would further damage Switzerland’s image after the collapse of Swissair.
The Neue Luzerner Zeitung writes that “the World Economic Forum has become too big an event for a small mountain village like Davos.”
Davos regrets decision
Michael Caflisch, marketing director of the Davos Tourism Office, told swissinfo that Davos, and its tourism industry, regretted the decision.
“We are very sorry, but we have to accept this decision and we’ll look ahead and see what will happen next year in Davos.”
Hotels and conference centres will lose income from booked rooms and facilities. Caflisch is not expecting compensation from the WEF.
“This is not the moment to discuss compensation,” he said. “We hope that the WEF will be back in Davos in 2003.”
There are issues beyond compensation. “It’s not only a question of the money needed for the whole security, it’s also a general question whether Switzerland is willing to remain the host of this event. This is not only the decision of Davos but also of the region and the government of Switzerland,” he said.
Costly security
Communities in the Davos area have complained about the high cost of providing security for the 3,200 economic forum attendees.
The Graubünden cantonal government estimated that security for the 2002 event could cost SFr9.9 million ($6.9 million).
That represents an increase from the SFr8.6 million ($5.4 million) in security costs last winter — a heavy burden for the 187,000 local residents, whose income depends on skiing and tourism.
swissinfo with agencies
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.