Tourism associations see 2026 Winter Olympics as a great opportunity

In October 2017, the Federal Council decided to support a Swiss bid to host the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It intends to invest up to around one billion Swiss francs in the "Sion 2026" project in the event of a successful bid.

The tourism associations welcome this decision. The Federal Council is thus putting into practice the important field of action of the new tourism strategy to use major events as a stimulus for tourism, the associations write in a statement. They see the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as a unique opportunity to bring Switzerland's beauty and performance closer to a global audience of billions. The Games would thus make a significant contribution to the positive development of the Swiss tourism industry and promote snow sports, which have declined by more than 20 percent in recent years, again. Furthermore, the preparation for and follow-up to the Games in particular would provide important impulses for the regional economy.

The Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games often have a negative connotation nowadays, as tourism associations are aware, because in recent years there have been more and more venues that have spent billions on new infrastructures that have degenerated into veritable ghost sites after the Games. He said the Federal Council wants to support the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Switzerland with one billion because it is convinced by the submitted concept and the feasibility statement. "The concept focuses on sustainable, decentralized games that make use of the excellently developed infrastructure in Switzerland and provides for a clearly limited budget. The financial participation is regulated in such a way that all three parties, the federal government, the host cantons and Swiss Olympic, share the costs without taking unnecessary risks. Hotelleriesuisse, GastroSuisse and the Swiss Tourism Federation are also convinced by the concept and hope for a positive decision," the statement said.

The associations reject a national referendum. The federal government does not know any financial referendums and the vote would therefore set a precedent. In addition, the upcoming vote in the canton of Valais, where the greatest burden of tasks falls, would ensure that the population has a say.