Switzerland Today!
Greetings from Zurich!
Spring is in the air, bejewelling the Alps in natural finery.
And that’s got some people pondering how to protect beauty spots from trampling hiking boots and traffic congestion.
More of that to follow.
In the news: no cash-back from ex-CS chair, neutrality fetishism ranks and refugees.
- Former Credit Suisse chair Urs Rohner has rejected calls to return some of the millions he accrued presiding over the bank’s fall from grace.
- The ex-Swiss ambassador to Ukraine believes Switzerland should allow weapons re-exports to the war-torn country.
- Amnesty has praised Switzerland’s rapid support for Ukrainian refugees, but not those of other countries.
What was Thomas Cook thinking of?
What do Lucerne, Barcelona, Venice and Appenzell Inner Rhodes have in common? Tourists – too many of them.
Thomas Cookhas a lot to answer for, it appears.
The Matterhorn, Jungfrau and historic city of Lucerne have long complained of being overrun by big-spending foreign visitors.
Now the picturesque Appenzell Inner Rhodes is confronting the issue of over-tourism. It’s a case of balancing economic gains with environmental losses and the peace of residents.
The cantonal parliament is debating the best way to milk the Äscher mountain inn (pictured) and Seealpsee cash cows while keeping these beauty spots – well, beautiful.
One of the most pressing problems is over-crowded carparks. Potential solutions? New underground parking pace, limiting the number of day trippers and building up to five hotels in the next 15 years.
There’s a lot at stake. Tourism generates CHF125 million for the canton every year and provides one in six jobs.
The Covid-19 pandemic reminded people of how peaceful things used to be. There will be no easy remedy to appease the conflicting camps.
The Credit Suisse effect
The near collapse of Switzerland’s second largest bank has ruffled markets, and feathers, in many parts of the world.
That’s hardly surprising. Credit Suisse is a ‘too big to fail’ bank with 50,000 staff spread over 50 countries.
SWI swissinfo’s language desks have taken a look at how the Swiss banking crisis has impacted your part of the world.
For example, the emergency takeover by UBS has toppled the head of the Saudi National Bank – CS’s largest single shareholder.
If you have any Credit Suisse anecdotes in your region, please do let us know.
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