Study shows alternative to Rigi Bahnen tourism strategy

The current strategy of Rigi Railways is geared towards growth and overseas markets. This is not climate-friendly, according to the study by the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland, which was commissioned by the petitioners "Rigi: 800,000 is enough!" and financed by them. It therefore advises both Mount Rigi and tourism in general to "fundamentally change course".

Tourist mobility is extremely harmful to the climate, with Asian and overseas guests contributing the most to CO2 emissions due to air travel. According to one estimate, Rigi tourism caused around 488,337 tons of CO2 annually before the pandemic.

The majority of this is caused by travel to and from the event, namely around 477,229 tons. This is more than the total CO2 emissions of annual passenger and freight traffic in the city of Zurich. Before the pandemic, around 40 percent of the approximately one million guests on Mount Rigi came from overseas.

Upper limit of 800,000 guests

If Rigi Railways wants to improve its carbon footprint, overseas guests would have to be replaced by guests from Switzerland and neighboring countries, according to the study. The authors also suggest limiting the number of guests to 800,000 per year.

To ensure that Rigi Bahnen can continue to make a living in the future, the revenue per guest must be increased. This would require, for example, multi-day flat rates. The abolition of the general season ticket should also be examined. Instead, individual tickets should be sold.

Thanks to a gradual price increase, travel revenue could amount to CHF 28.4 million with 700,000 guests. This corresponds to the record level before the pandemic.

However, in order to switch to this strategy, advertising in the Asian and overseas markets would have to be dispensed with in the future. At the same time, new offers in gastronomy, hotels and regional products are needed. The study lists around 120 possible projects and measures.

"Very spongy"

The study has many good inputs, said Frédéric Füssenich, head of Rigi Bahnen, when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency. However, capping the number of guests would not be expedient. The aim is to be a quality leader and not a quantity leader. "The future will show whether this means 700,000 or 900,000 guests on the Rigi," said Füssenich.

The consequence of the study would be the end of intercontinental tourism. But renunciation is not the only solution. The challenge of climate change can also be solved with technical progress, for example with sustainable fuel. However, these approaches are not considered at all in the study.

According to Füssenich, it is difficult to judge whether the projections on travel revenue are realistic, as the proposals are "very vague". Basically, he puts a question mark behind higher prices and the abandonment of the GA offer, with which Rigi Bahnen would promote sustainable public transport. (SDA)