Economic Impact #1 of the Alps on Switzerland: Tourism

Arguably the largest economic impact that the Alps have had on Switzerland is tourism. Tourism has completely changed Switzerland’s economy, and the majority of tourists go for the scenery. Whether it is to ski, to travel on the famous railroads, or just to walk around and take it all in, the geography of the Alps brings in a lot of people each year. According to Switzerland’s Federal Statistics Office, in 2023, there were “59.3 million overnight stays in tourist accommodations”. In the same year, the “gross value added by tourism” to Switzerland's economy was 20.8 billion CHF (Image). One of the most popular things to do is to ski. There are 352 ski resorts in Switzerland, and “In the mountain regions, one in five francs is directly or indirectly generated through tourism, and one in four people is employed in the sector” (Ski; Turuban). Tourism is huge in Switzerland, to the point that they even have a committee to oversee it, the Regional Tourism Directors of Switzerland. A population study conducted by them showed that the majority of the Swiss population thinks “that tourism is considered extremely important”, and it would be nowhere as big as it is today without its geography (New).