Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,

In today’s briefing: as tourism in Switzerland gets back towards pre-pandemic levels, questions arise about how sustainable it all is. But first, a round-up of the news.

David Lohmueller

In the news: asylum progress with Italy.

• Switzerland has pledged up to CHF20 million ($22 million) to help Italy house asylum seekers. Swiss Justice Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi reached an agreement in Rome today. Over 45,000 people have arrived on Italian shores since the start of the year, triple the number at the same time in 2022. 
• Swiss-based mining giant Glencore wants to invest up to $1.5 billion in the expansion of the Antapaccay copper mine in Peru, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The goal is to extend the life of the mine until at least 2045 and to boost annual production to 250,000 tons after years of dwindling yields.
• Swiss Federal Railways shared its plans today to build underground platforms and two tunnels to turn Lucerne’s train station from a dead-end into a through one. One of the tunnels – the 3.8 km long Dreilinden Tunnel – will sit 400m below Lake Lucerne. Total costs are predicted to run to CHF3.3 billion and construction could last 13 years.

© Keystone / Urs Flueeler

Mass tourism: how much is too much?

For reasons unknown to this journalist, various actors in the Swiss tourism sector chose to come out with statements and figures over the past 24 hours (to mark the start of summer tomorrow?). For example: according to the director of tourism from hotspot Lucerne (pictured), 2022 was a bumper year, with hotel stays jumping 77.5% compared to pandemic year 2021; according to the travel agents’ federation, the situation re Swiss citizens jetting off abroad also looks rosy; while according to the BAK Economics institute, visitors to Switzerland this summer look set to reach pre-pandemic levels, driven by a resurgence of overseas visitors to compensate for dwindling Swiss and Europeans.

All this means that the debates now look a bit different than during Covid-19. In today’s NZZExternal link, Swiss Tourism boss Martin Nydegger faced questions not about when the guests would return, but about how many of them should return in the first place. Are Swiss cities and resorts suffocating under the swarms? No, Nydegger says: “there is no over-tourism in Switzerland”! Some places are heavily visited for a short period, but not the whole year around, he says. And the authorities work – with online influencers for example – to make sure that crowds visit all areas of the country, not just the classics, like the Jungfraujoch.

As for sustainability, Nydegger says this is not just about the climate, but also sustainable jobs, and the sustainable benefits of a dubious-sounding “intercultural exchange”; as such, he says, it’s still acceptable to promote Swiss tourism in Asia and North America, despite the pollution of air travel. That said, he adds, sustainability is also important, if not for ethical reasons, then for economic ones: while “nobody” chooses their travel destination based on it being the “greenest”, some increasingly exclude places which “don’t give a damn about the environment”, he says. “Companies and destinations which ignore this will eventually disappear from the market”.

© Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

Passing the PUK: commission shaping up to probe Credit Suisse deal

Switzerland is set to hear the nice little word “PUK” bandied around a lot in the coming months. The term (an acronym in German) refers to a parliamentary commission of inquiry, the highest weapon lawmakers can wield to probe state misdeeds. It’s been used only four times in Swiss history. Now it’s ready to be dusted off again, in connection with the last-ditch fusion of Credit Suisse and UBS on March 19. Via interviews and questioning of politicians, experts, and insiders, the commission will investigate the state’s oversight of the banking sector, as well as its role in the deal.

Yesterday, a parliamentary office said the PUK would be made up of 14 parliamentarians and have a budget of CHF5 million ($5.5 million). Interestingly, SRF writesExternal link, the time period to be investigated has been left vague: the commission will look at “the past years”, which means it could go back quite far to root out the causes of the catastrophe. It will also have access to confidential minutes from government meetings, which means juicy new details will “certainly” come to light, SRF says. Parliamentarians are to discuss the terms of the commission – and sign off on it – in the coming weeks.