Concrete Measures for Sustainable Tourism

All excursions can be experienced in a climate-neutral way. Activities that are marked with a green leaf either do not generate any harmful emissions or the emissions generated are offset via myclimate. Thanks to the “Cause We Care” initiative, guests can compensate for all other activities on a voluntary basis. As a token of thanks, Zürich Tourism will double this contribution.

Since 2016, Zürich Tourism has regularly invited people with a migration background to participate in free city tours. The idea came from a tour guide who herself has a migration background. The inclusive guided tour was developed in collaboration with the Anlaufstelle für Integrationsfragen (AOZ) with the aim of welcoming people from all corners of the globe to the city.

Employees are the most important driver for a business’s engagement. For this reason, Zürich Tourism promotes the satisfaction and health of its employees in a targeted manner. Appreciation, transparent communication, training opportunities, and inspiring office spaces play an important role in this regard. The high level of job satisfaction, which is measured annually, makes us proud and motivates us become even better.

Without concrete, sustainable tourism offers, sustainability is not possible. The engagement of hotels, restaurants, tour operators, and venues therefore plays a central role. Zürich Tourism regularly inspires and informs tourism organizations about sustainability issues and specific projects. For example, with so-called Partner Reports or special events such as “Hotelfokus”. In 2019, 60 participants attended such an event and discussed diversity and inclusion.

Zürich Tourism focuses on the social dimension of sustainability in a targeted manner. A collaboration with the professional training provider, login, enables young people to complete part of their training at Zürich Tourism and gain valuable work experience. Diversity is taken into account in the recruitment process. In addition, Zürich Tourism is currently revising all of its German-language texts in order to consciously address non-binary people as well. All employees attended a training course to raise their awareness of this issue: showing one’s stance and putting it into practice is more important than achieving perfection.

Together with the non-profit association, NEA, Zürich Tourism organized the most beautiful summer school in the city: in a small, informal setting, Zurich locals discussed topics that are relevant to the future – including tourism – in a series of talks and workshops. They want travelers who stay longer, appreciate quality, and behave in a mindful, open, and respectful way. The findings from these discussions have been incorporated into the 10 tips for traveling sustainably in Zurich.

The committee within Zürich Tourism is composed of one person from each department, as well as from the management. The Sustainability Circle meets three times a year. It evaluates ideas and possible measures to achieve the goals and implements them together with the entire team. It also consciously provides space for in-depth learning and critical reflection on sustainability issues.

Already back in 2007, Zürich Tourism was certified in quality management according to ISO 9001 and in 2010 in environmental management according to ISO 14001. This enables the organization to monitor and further improve itself. The signing of the Swiss Tourism Sustainability Charter in 2010 was another milestone. Zürich Tourism has rooted sustainability in its corporate mission statement. The new Sustainability Strategy 2022–2026 with its ambitious goals replaces the “Sustainability Concept 2015+”.