Study shows alternative to Rigi Bahnen tourism strategy
If tourism is to significantly reduce CO2 emissions, fewer guests will have to travel by air. Using the Rigi as an example, a study shows what influence overseas tourists have on the climate balance and how an omission could be compensated - the Rigi Bahnen are skeptical.
(Image: Keystone/Urs Flüeler)
The current strategy of Rigi Bahnen is focused on growth and overseas markets. This is not climate-friendly, says the study by the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland, which was commissioned by the petitioners "Rigi: 800,000 are enough!" and financed by them. It therefore advises both the Rigi and tourism in general to "fundamentally change course".
Tourist mobility is extremely damaging to the climate, with Asian and overseas guests contributing the most to CO2 emissions because they travel by plane. According to one estimate, Rigi tourism before the pandemic caused around 488,337 tons of CO2 annually.
The majority of this is generated by travel to and from the airport, namely around 477,229 metric tons. That is more than the total CO2 emissions of the annual passenger and freight traffic in the city of Zurich. Before the pandemic, around 40 percent of the approximately one million guests on the Rigi came from overseas.
Upper limit of 800,000 guests
If Rigi Bahnen wants to improve its carbon footprint, overseas guests would have to be replaced by those from Switzerland and neighboring countries, the study says. The authors also suggest limiting the number of guests to 800,000 annually.
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 reach 28.4 million Swiss francs 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, in response to a question from the Keystone-SDA news agency. However, capping the number of guests would not be expedient. It is true that one strives for quality leadership and not quantity leadership. "Whether this means 700,000 or 900,000 guests on the Rigi, the future will show," Füssenich said.
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 for 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)
