Cantons and sectors exert pressure for more tourism zones
Published: Monday, Mar 11th 2024, 14:10
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Now that the consultation period has ended, some cantons and tourism organizations are increasing the pressure on the Federal Council: they are calling for "needs-based tourism zones in Swiss cities" in which stores can also open on Sundays without a permit.
"We must take account of the reality of life and enable a reasonable sales offer", said Zurich's Director of Economic Affairs Carmen Walker Späh (FDP) in a press release on Monday. However, the proposal from the Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) contains "unsuitable and complicated special regulations" and is not practicable for the economy.
For example, the restriction to cities with more than 60,000 inhabitants is "arbitrary and unsuitable for assessing cities that are attractive to tourists", said the Mayor of Frauenfeld and President of the Zurich Metropolitan Conference, Anders Stokholm (FDP). It leads to unequal treatment and distortions of competition.
The product range restriction proposed by the Federal Council has also been met with criticism. "If the shopping experience, which is important for city tourism, is missing, this has a negative impact on the overall attractiveness of a destination," said GLP member of the Council of States Tiana Angelina Moser according to the press release.
Equal length skewers
The Alliance is therefore calling for tourism zones that "revitalize city centres and create a level playing field for city tourism". This would benefit not only the retail trade but also the entire tourism value chain. There is "huge untapped shopping potential in city centers", especially for day tourists.
In addition to the cantons of Zurich and Ticino, the City of Zurich, the Zurich Metropolitan Conference, which also includes the cantons of Aargau, Thurgau, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, St. Gallen, Zug and Lucerne, the Swiss Retail Federation and Hotelleriesuisse are also backing the demands.
Criticism in the consultation process
The Federal Council's proposed revision of the Ordinance to the Labor Act on "Sunday work in urban tourist districts" met with widespread criticism during the consultation process. For the middle classes and the cities, the opening goes too far, while the left and trade unions oppose any softening of the ban on Sunday working.
With the bill, the EAER wanted to create the conditions for stores "in urban districts with international tourism" to be allowed to employ staff on Sundays throughout the year.
However, the exception would be limited to cities with more than 60,000 inhabitants. In addition, the proportion of foreign hotel guests would have to be at least 50 percent. The cantons would have to designate corresponding districts in the cities and restrict the range of goods sold.
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