Swiss hostels boss wants more frank overtourism debate

Janine Bunte, the director of the Swiss Youth Hostels network. Keystone-SDA

Janine Bunte, the director of the Swiss Youth Hostels network, says local authorities “make a living from tourism, yet complain about the large numbers of visitors”. For her, a more direct debate is needed.

Many local authorities have neglected to define a tourism strategy, Bunte said in an interview with the Blick newspaper, published on Saturday. Spreading visitors around, to avoid overcrowding, would require the involvement of local authorities, tourism organisations and service providers, she said.

“We also need to have the courage to say ‘stop’,” said the director of the Swiss Youth Hostels network, who is also president of the Parahotellerie Schweiz group, which defends the interests of the non-hotel accommodation sector. Bunte said that a real discussion is often avoided at the moment. However, she added, no solution can be found without clearly identifying and naming the problem.

She expressed sympathy for those impacted by the “unbearable” overcrowding in some destinations. It is also a social phenomenon that people have increasingly less consideration for one another – something which has nothing to do with nationality, Bunte added. Youth hostels meanwhile seek to engage in dialogue with guests. “But we offer accommodation, not moral education,” she said.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.