Sustainable Tourism 

Tourism is a complex sector and is strongly linked to supply chains from other market systems. It is highly dependent on physical infrastructure and human resources and is heavily influenced by foreign affairs laws and labour and environmental policies. Building a strong and resilient tourism sector is crucial in a world experiencing an economic crisis, pandemics, and climate change.  

Swisscontact has been working on tourism and hospitality development for more than 20 years across more than 20 countries. Our partners are governments, destination managers, the private sector, training providers and community groups.  

We contribute to reducing economic disparities while developing a tourism destination responsibly. We consider the social and environmental impact and respect the destination’s resources. 

Minimising negative impacts, enabling better places to live in and visit 

Swisscontact supports destinations and stakeholders in their development towards a balanced tourism sector growth. The goal is to create better places for people to live in and visit, maximising the positive and minimising the negative impacts of tourism on people, planet and prosperity.   

Swisscontact implements a wide range of projects either for a destination, region or at a national level. Our most frequent interventions focus on:  

• sustainable tourism destination development and management
• tourism and hospitality capacity building and skills development

Our approach for sustainable tourism development 

Our approach in tourism development is demand-oriented, systemic and inclusive. It ensures lasting economic success while taking social and environmental impact into account. We keep in mind the the human, financial, natural and intangible resources inherent to the specific destination. 

Under this premise, Swisscontact supports sustainable tourism development at all levels:   

• We provide customised, result-oriented advisory services that prove sustained effectiveness.
• We tackle tourism challenges strategically and are demand-driven, ensuring quick-wins and lasting impact.
• We provide in-depth training to apply the principles of Sustainable Tourism Destination Management.
• We provide technical advice to provide strategic guidance in destination analysis and planning, product development and marketing, as well as organisational development.

Our project implementation and advisory work is oriented towards increasing the length of stay, tourism and visitor spending and the number of responsible visitors.