Andermatt Tourist Resort - Positive Outlook On The Future Shown In Study By Lucerne University

The municipality of Andermatt has changed a lot since construction work began on the new tourist resort. The development triggers different feelings in the population, as a study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences shows. Be it new cultural offers, a modernized ski area or an increase in rental prices: The resort brings advantages as well as challenges for Andermatt.

A tourism resort has been under construction in Andermatt in the canton of Uri since 2009 on the initiative of the Egyptian investor Samih Sawiris. The major project includes the construction of six 4 and 5 star hotels, around 500 apartments in 42 houses, 28 private villas, conference facilities and an 18-hole golf course - around a third of the hotel buildings and apartment houses have already been completed. The resort will grow considerably again in the coming years. In addition, the Andermatt-Sedrun ski area was modernized and expanded.

Such a comprehensive tourism project brings far-reaching socio-cultural and socio-economic changes for a village like Andermatt, which offer both opportunities and challenges for the population. With a long-term and accompanying study, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts examined the short-term and long-term consequences of the construction of the tourist resort on the social and economic structures of the municipality and beyond the municipal boundaries. The results of the fourth and final partial study are now available.

Spatially separated into two parts of the village

Interviews with the residents that were carried out as part of the long-term study have shown: There is some uncertainty among the population. "Many residents fear that the local population will be displaced or other negative consequences," says Beatrice Durrer Eggerschwiler, project manager and lecturer for socio-cultural development at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

The village image and the composition of the people who are out and about on the streets have changed noticeably in the last ten years.

It is already evident that Andermatt is at least spatially divided into two different parts: In the old village center and in the Andermatt Reuss holiday village. According to the author of the study, this spatial demarcation can also be transferred to the social level. The village image and the composition of the people who are out and about on the streets have changed noticeably in the last ten years. In the interviews, the concern was mentioned that a certain parallel world could develop in Andermatt, to which many do not feel they belong.

New leisure and cultural offers

The development of the tourist resort also has advantages for the population. The residents regard the modernization and expansion of the ski area as consistently positive. The population can also benefit from many innovations in the village - for example the public swimming pool, new hiking and biking trails or the revitalized cultural and leisure activities. Hans Regli, Mayor of Andermatt, is certain that the investments in Andermatt would have enabled a development that would otherwise not have been possible after the departure of the Swiss Army: “Not only is the tourist resort developing, but numerous renovation projects have also been carried out in the old part of the village . Jobs could be secured and additional apprenticeship positions created. "

Significant increase in rental and property prices

The change manifests itself especially in socio-economic aspects. For example, prices in the single-family home market in Andermatt have increased by 270 to over 500 percent over the past fourteen years, since the resort project was announced. For Switzerland as a whole, the price increase in the same period was 44 percent. The prices for condominiums in Andermatt have also developed above average in comparison with the whole of Switzerland. In this segment, strong increases were particularly visible from 2013 onwards. For example, a price increase of up to 200 percent can be determined for condominiums. "The fourth part of the study shows that anyone who wants to rent an apartment in Andermatt now needs a larger budget," says Hannes Egli. Lecturer in regional economics at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and responsible for the study of socio-economic changes. Since 2010, apartments in Andermatt have increased by around 45-50 percent overall, with prices rising above all from 2017.

Resort attracts new residents

Despite higher housing costs, Andermatt's population is growing. The average permanent resident population of the municipality rose from around 1,260 in 2009 to a good 1,410 in 2019 - this corresponds to growth of almost eleven percent in ten years. Cantonal tax receipts at the municipality level have also increased - they almost doubled between 2009 and 2019. "The increase indicates that, in addition to new second home owners, more people are permanently moving to Andermatt," says Hannes Egli. The new jobs that will be created in and around the resort contribute to this.

More and more tourists are staying in Andermatt: in 2009 the number of overnight stays was 73,000, ten years later it was over 129,000.
An indicator for the rapid development of tourism in the village is the increase in the number of overnight stays. From 2013, in particular, when the Hotel Chedi opened, it became clear that more and more tourists were staying in Andermatt. While the number of overnight stays was slightly more than 73,000 in 2009, more than 100,000 overnight stays were recorded for the first time in 2018. In 2019 there were already more than 129,000 overnight stays. The number of available beds has increased from a good 600 in 2009 to around 900 in 2019. How the corona pandemic will affect the further development of overnight stays remains to be seen.

The population is positive about the future

The attitude towards the tourist resort has changed significantly among the population since the start of the project. "In recent years, a group has formed among the residents who want to contribute to the development of the village into an attractive place to live," says Beatrice Durrer Eggerschwiler. Meanwhile, many residents are also looking to the future positively and see more opportunities than disadvantages in the resort. This is also confirmed by Karin Christen, who lives in Andermatt herself and is part of the group accompanying the BESTandermatt study. She clearly sees an opportunity for the community in the tourist resort. Andermatt could benefit from an even more attractive living space. «If we know how to use the newly created resources with foresight, this can be a great opportunity for Andermatt in the future, ”said Christen. If the study authors have their way, the inclusion of the population and other actors is a key to the positive course of the further development of the community and tourism. As part of the study, the HSLU research team created a catalog of possible measures. The recommendations are intended to help the municipality of Andermatt, the canton of Uri and Andermatt Swiss Alps, which is responsible for the construction and operation of the tourist resort in Andermatt, to integrate the residents into the further development of Andermatt. the inclusion of the population and other actors is a key for the positive course of the further development of the community and tourism. As part of the study, the HSLU research team created a catalog of possible measures. The recommendations are intended to help the municipality of Andermatt, the canton of Uri and Andermatt Swiss Alps, which is responsible for the construction and operation of the tourist resort in Andermatt, to integrate the residents into the further development of Andermatt. the inclusion of the population and other actors is a key for the positive course of the further development of the community and tourism. As part of the study, the HSLU research team created a catalog of possible measures. The recommendations are intended to help the municipality of Andermatt, the canton of Uri and Andermatt Swiss Alps, which is responsible for the construction and operation of the tourist resort in Andermatt, to integrate the residents into the further development of Andermatt.

Study «BESTandermatt»

With the realization of the tourism resort, the village of Andermatt and the entire region will change significantly. The short-term and long-term consequences of the large-scale project on the social and economic structures of the Andermatt municipality are difficult to predict. The departments of social work and economics at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts carried out a long-term and accompanying study in four sub-studies between 2009 and 2020. The results of the fourth part of the study are now available. In it, the HSLU research team researched the social and socio-economic effects of the resort between 2019 and 2020 and, based on this, formulated proposals for the implementation of measures. The project was carried out by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, the Canton of Uri,

A general report will be published in the summer of 2021 as part of the BESTandermatt study. In the overall report, the socio-cultural changes in the population that result from the construction of such a tourist resort are located on the basis of theoretical models using the example of the findings from the four sub-studies. As a result, recommendations for action that can be adapted to other destinations are formulated, which municipalities and regions can use to find a balance between tourism development and the demands of the population.