
Switzerland Today
Hello from Bern,
Where schools are still on Autumn break, and – just in time for families looking to book holidays – newspapers have dived into Google Maps ratings of Swiss hotels (see below). Apparently, the median score across the country is an impressive 4.4/5. How meaningful are the ratings?

In the news: European Parliament frustrated by Swiss relations
- The EU Parliament adopted a report today calling for more trust and transparency in EU-Swiss relations. The report regretted the slow progress in negotiations after the failure of a draft framework agreement in 2021; it also lamented Bern’s refusal to allow European states to re-export Swiss-made weaponry to Ukraine. The absence of an agreement on electricity between the two was also raised as a concern.
- A majority of 61% of respondents to a survey support the idea of a single national health insurer, rather than the multiple options currently available, the Le Temps newspaper said today. A majority of 58% also back the idea of adjusting premiums according to income levels. The price of healthcare is a major concern in Switzerland; last week premiums were announced to be rising by an average of 8.7% next year.
- Generic medicines firm Sandoz was listed on the Swiss stock exchange for the first time today after being spun-off by pharma giant Novartis. Novartis took the decision to make Sandoz an independent entity in August 2022, as part of a focus drive. After a strong start in morning trading, Sandoz shares stabilised at CHF24.46 ($26.63) by mid-afternoon.

Google Maps ratings: reliable mark of quality?
Hotels in German-speaking Switzerland are better rated on Google Maps than those in French-speaking parts, newspapers from the Tamedia group write todayExternal link. Their analysis of 1 million reviews – of 3,100 hotels – also reveals that the rural tourist destinations of Valais and Graubünden come out better than big cities like Geneva and Zurich. That said, the general picture in Switzerland is good, with a median rating of 4.4/5.
Why the differences? Experts told the papers that returning guests tend to rate higher than first-timers (French-speaking Switzerland apparently has more of the latter). Having a broader clientele base can also lead to cultural “misunderstandings”. As for whether ratings on Google Maps are even representative is difficult to judge: while most people read them, only 10-20% of guests take the trouble to write them, the papers say.

Smoke on the water: disaster on Lake Geneva.
Picture the scene: as the 50-metre “Général-Guisan” ferry made its way smoothly across Lake Geneva on Tuesday, an explosion ripped through the engine room, causing “considerable damage”, a major leak, and the emergency evacuation of all 96 passengers on board. Lakeside dwellers looked on in awe at the biggest disaster to hit the area since the Montreux Casino fire in 1971.
None of this actually happened, but the accident was simulated yesterday by Swiss and French rescue services. Some 400 emergency workers and 120 “extras” were on hand for the five-hour exercise, whose goal was to test the quality of rescue materials, the speed of response and the coordination between services on both land and sea. It was also a chance for authorities from both sides of the border to deepen collaboration, they said.
Keystone-SDA, which reported on the exercise, didn’t say what the outcome was; hopefully it will never need to be tested for real.

Note to helicopter pilots: watch out for vultures!
In September, an actual accident took place in the southern canton of Valais involving a helicopter and a bearded vulture. A collision led to the severing of one of the vulture’s wings, which was later found on the ground by a hiker, RTS public television reported last nightExternal link. The rest of the bird has not been recovered, but survival is out of the question, given the accident happened a fortnight ago and the bird can no longer fly, a vulture expert said.
RTS writes that the event – despite being the “first of its kind in Switzerland” – raises questions about the “coexistence of large predatory birds and humans in the Alps”. The accident happened in an area flagged as problematic for the construction of wind turbines, given the presence of wildlife. As for the future of the bearded vulture as a species, this is not in question; it is firmly in a phase of growth, wildlife experts say.

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