Hansruedi Müller

Climate change and tourism - scenario analysis for the Bernese Oberland in 2030.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate possible impacts of climate change on tourism on a regional level and therefore to provide a basis for discussion for tourism destinations.Design/methodology/approach – By means of a statistical analysis of data and a comprehensive desk research, the ecological consequences of climate change on regional level were outlined. In expert workshops, the effects on tourism were discussed and the main challenges for tourism enterprises and destinations were derived.Findings – The ecological consequences of climate change are shown for the different destinations in the Bernese Oberland. The economic effects on tourism under changed conditions are estimated. The changes in tourism revenue, including adaptation measures, would result in annual losses of approximately 70 million CHF, or about −4 per cent.Research limitations/implications – There are many uncertainties regarding climatic development, effects on tourism and adaptability of the industry. In addition, t...

Benchmarking for destination management organizations: the case of Swiss cities and Alpine destination management

Purpose – Swiss destination management organizations (DMOs) are usually to a substantial portion supported by public funds. In order to establish political majorities for such public financing, some proof of the impact of the use of these subsidies must be of interest. The main goal of the case study presented in this paper is to develop a comprehensive tool for measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of DMOs.Design/methodology/approach – By using the structure of the Business Excellence Model of the European Foundation for Quality Management, the tool is mainly based on a system with 80 to 100 indicators. Selected DMOs are examined by a multi‐level methodology. Available information is collected within a document analysis. Subsequently, the directors of the DMOs are interviewed. Collected data are also consolidated by building and calculating comparative budget key figures and by conducting efficiency computations. Two benchmarking phases are conducted in order to develop and test the tool. In a first...

2030: Alps Tourism in the Face of Climate Change

In recent times discussions on climate protection have reached a level never seen before. Tourism has often been a topic of focus in these discussions. Increasingly tourist organisations have realised that they must address climate change, its consequences and especially their course of action as regards tourism. Conferences have been planned, workshops organised, work groups established and publications prepared. The Bernese Oberland and the Switzerland Tourism commissioned the Research Institute for Leisure and Tourism (FIF) of the University of Berne to develop a baseline study together with tourist specialists in order to move the discussion forward. The following is a summary described through seven premises:

Atypical working hours and their impacts on leisure – an unofficial Swiss time use study

The study questions how spreading working hours through the day (night) and week might affect how people use their time and participate in leisure and social activities. We make use of closed two‐daystime‐use‐diaries and questionnaires asked employees of the Swiss railway (sample size of 1,400 diarydays), to access the implications of atypical forms of working hours on the workers’ leisure time as well as the time arrangements of the employees’ partners and children. The empirical investigation revealed that people who work shifts are less likely to live in households made up of several persons (an average of 13.6 per cent compared, with 18.8 per cent among people who do not work shifts). Shift workers who live together with others in a household are more likely to share a household with a partner who also works shifts: 30.6 per cent of partners/spouses also work shifts, compared with 14.4 per cent of partners/spouses of non‐shift workers. Subdividing households according to single‐ or multiple‐person households shows that shift workers achieve a slightly longer period of social time than non‐shift workers. On the one hand, this points to a social environment which adapts to the irregular and asynchronous working hours of the person concerned. On the other hand, comparison with sociological theory literature and other time‐budget studies brings out that the social framework conditions and the extent to which working hours can be planned exert a definite influence on a functioning social environment. The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) tries – and manages – to take this into account, as the survey results clearly show. Thus, it is not possible to draw the conclusion that shift workers are in principle at greater risk from social isolation. In fact, it should be pointed out that the negative consequences of asynchronous working hours can be compensated for by individual adjustments. However, in this regard, certain operational and social framework conditions are a prerequisite for the success of these individual efforts.

Infrastructure repercussions of mega sports events: the relevance of demarcation procedures for impact calculations, evaluated using the case of UEFA Euro 2008

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to develop procedures that make it possible to evaluate appropriately the economic infrastructure repercussions of a mega sports event, aiming at both theoretical and practical scientific targets. On the one hand, this involves developing exegeses while, on the other, the focus is on problem‐led structuring. To fulfil both requirements means following objective‐cum‐analytical as well as empirical strategies.Design/methodology/approach – Staging mega sports events necessitates the availability of appropriate infrastructure, both for specific events and for general purposes. Investments in infrastructure triggered by mega sports events are often of considerable importance for any calculation of their economic impact. The scale of the impacts identified largely depends on the basic demarcation between event‐related and non‐event‐related investments. Developed in former literature the six models derived from procedures are used as potential demarcation approaches. Their appl...

Volkswirtschaftliche Bedeutung des Tourismus im Kanton Wallis

Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the Swiss economy. Over the years, several studies have been carried out aimed at determining the economic significance of tourism in Switzerland. More regionally oriented studies have shown that the significance of tourism varies dramatically between different regions and communities. Particularly in the mountainous cantons, tourism plays a central role in the regional economy. Often it represents the only sector with any hope of generating income from outside the region in amounts necessary for creation of jobs and economic development. The economic management of tourism in Switzerland focuses on demand. Spending from guests on the demand side is distributed among various goods and services, and leads directly to revenues and job creation for various economic actors on the supply side. These direct effects lead to a chain of more indirect value generating effects. The results of the regional study demonstrate that tourism is well integrated into the econom...

Event performance index: a holistic valuation tool

Purpose The subsidization of events by public authorities at different administrative levels has become increasingly important in recent years. Event portfolios are an important supply component of tourism destinations. The development of a valuation tool with an event performance index (EPI) as the key output should enable public authorities to develop transparent, systematic and fair subsidization practices in the future. The paper aims discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Using a theoretical impact model and event evaluation practices, this work develops a new holistic valuation tool for events with key indicators along the dimensions of sustainable development. Basic cost-benefit analysis ideas enrich the approach conceptually. Indicator development was based on a process of elaboration that considered the scientific literature, event stakeholders and municipal representatives. Findings The EPI consists of seven core indicators: size, economic value, touristic value and image, innovative strength, value of networking, value of participation and social exchange and relative ecological burden. The application of this tool to a case study revealed that it generates comprehensive and robust indicators of multifaceted and destination-unspecific event values and supports the process of allocating event subsidies using different remuneration schemes. Straightforward and destination-unspecific indicators assure the transferability and adaptability of the valuation tool to different complex and multifaceted contexts of event subsidization. Originality/value The EPI seeks to reduce complexity and incentivize event organizers to meet future sustainable development goals. Additionally, this work contributes to future discussions of both the form and process of event subsidization.

Konflikt und diskurs in ferienorten

Unuberhorbar ist der Ruf nach Ethik in allen Lebensbereichen, auch in der Wirtschaft “Ethik kommt als Krisenreflexion auf den Weg”, meinte einmal M. Riedel (1979, S. 8). Als Krisen konnen wir die zunehmend komplexer werdenden Probleme touristisch bedingter okologischer, sozialer und individueller Belastungen bezeichnen. Diese Belastungen genen bei einem Teil der betroffenen Bevolkerung uber das Mass hinaus, das aufgrund personlicher Wertvorstellungen verantwortbar sind.