“No other country had as much success” in the awards, the Swiss authorities announced, rather proudly, on Thursday. Indeed, among the 44 “best tourism villages” named by the UNWTO were Gruyères, Saas-Fee, and Valposchiavo – towns with a “strong orientation towards sustainable development, a proximity to local agriculture, and which offer a big added-value to their region, via tourism”, according to a statementExternal link by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
The “best tourism villages” initiative was launched to “advance the role of tourism in safeguarding rural villages, along with their landscapes, natural and cultural diversity, and their local values and activities, including local gastronomy”, the UNWTO explainsExternal link. At the organisation’s general assembly in Madrid this week, a total of 44 villages from 32 countries were granted the recognition for 2021.
The village of Gruyères (home of the eponymous cheese) is found in canton Fribourg, in the southwest of the country; Saas-Fee is a mountain village in canton Valais in the Alps in the south; and Valposchiavo is in the Italian-speaking corner of canton Graubünden in the southeast of Switzerland (see photos below).
Aside from a symbolic trophy (and a sense of pride) the villages will all benefit from global media campaigns organised by the UN body, SECO said on Thursday.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
Sustainable tourism may prosper amid coronavirus crisis
This content was published on
Aurelia Kogler, a professor of tourism, sees the Covid-19 crisis as opportunity for a more sustainable form of leisure travel to take hold.
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.