Tourism. Destination Switzerland

Exhibition

How did Switzerland become a popular travel destination? The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through time past defining moments of the history of tourism in Switzerland – from the grand tours of British aristocrats right up to the Instagram hotspots of today. On the way, we encounter landmark events that have enabled, promoted, temporarily prevented, or fundamentally changed travel to and in Switzerland.

In the course of the Enlightenment and the age of Romanticism, the alpine country changed from being an area one passed through to a travel destination in itself. The alpine landscape became idealized as a space of untouched nature and safe travel, two features that define Switzerland’s touristic image of self to this day. The exhibition tells of early travellers such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, of British climbers who were the first to conquer four-thousand-metre-high peaks, and of the luxurious hotel palaces of the Belle Epoque. In the 20th century, travel finally became a mass phenomenon – from camping trips to the Ticino to ski holidays in the Alps.

Today, the tourism industry is caught between the pressure to succeed and the need to act responsibly: climate change, global crises, and digitalization are evermore impacting on travel. Topics such as the lack of snow, “cold beds”, and “overtourism” are challenges that the tourist industry has to face up to. The exhibition offers space to reflect on one’s own travel habits and Switzerland’s future as a holiday destination.

Guided tours

Tourism. Destination Switzerland

Guided tour for private groups

Guided tour of the exhibition "Tourism. Destination Switzerland".

Tour: 1 hour

Registration:		2 weeks in advance make a reservation online
Duration:		60 minutes; special packages can be offered on request
Group size:		max. 25 persons per tour
Cost:		CHF 120 for the tour, plus a reduced admission fee of CHF 10 per person. Free entrance for children up to 16 years.
Opening hours:		Tuesdays - Sundays between 10.00 am – 17.00 pm

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Contact

Forum of Swiss History Schwyz

+41 41 819 60 11

Schools

Tourism. Destination Switzerland – Introductory tour

Guided tour of the exhibition «Tourism. Destination Switzerland».

Duration: 1 hour
Guided tours are free of charge for school classes from Switzerland.

For guided tours and indipendents visits for school groups, please contact us 14 days in advance.

Entrance and guided tours are free of charges for Swiss school classes.

To the registration form

Important information for visiting the museum with school classes (PDF, 101 KB)

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Reservations desk

Forum of Swiss History Schwyz

+41 41 819 60 10

Your holidays belong in a museum!

The Swiss National Museum is looking for digital holiday selfies from the past 20 years. Become part of the collection—and maybe even our exhibition “Tourism. Switzerland as a Travel Destination’” (from June 2026 in Schwyz).

Take part and send us your holiday photo!

Submit your selfie now

Media

Dear media representatives

The press kit and a selection of images can be downloaded here from 18 june 2026, 12:00

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Press contact Forum of Swiss History Schwyz

Forum of Swiss History Schwyz

+41 41 819 60 18

Exhibition imprint

Overall management Denise Tonella
Project direction Anna Wälli
Curators and Concept Sibylle Gerber, Anna Wälli
Curatorial Support Pascale Meyer
Scientific consulting and support Anna Amacher und Florian Eggli, HSLU,Institut für Tourismus und Mobilität, Evelyne Lüthi-Graf, ehem. Hotelarchiv Schweiz
Public relations and marketing Karin Freitag-Masa, Conny Lüönd
Cultural Services and Museum Education Isabelle Marcon Lindauer, Laura Reichlin
Scenography Christa Held
Exhibition graphic Clavadetscher Gestaltung
Advertising graphic Büro Nord GmbH
Advisory committee Roman Aebersold, Günhan Akarçay (bis 31.3.2026), Heidi Amrein, Beat Högger, Sabrina Médioni, Denise Tonella, Simon Wirth (ab 1.4.2026)
Project controlling Sabrina Médioni
Exhibition construction Ivan Füglister, Ruedi Schmidig, Alder Stahl und Schweiss, Atelier S&G AG, Intech-ICS AG, Marty Schreinerei, Proha-tec – Werbetechnik & Druck, Utiger Maler AG, Team Landesmuseum Zürich
Conservation management Charlotte Maier
Conservation and mounting of objects Natalie Ellwanger, Dana Freyberg, Sarah Longrée, Iona Leroy, Véronique Mathieu, Carolin Muschel, Gaby Petrak, Ulrike Rothenhäusler, Martina Schönberg, Tino Zagermann
Logistics of objects and montage of objects Christian Affentranger, Simon D’Hollosy, Reto Hegetschweiler, Nicolas Müller, Aymeric Nager
Items generously loaned by Laura Mosimann, Cristina Kaufmann, Claudio Stefanutto
Photography Jörg Brandt, Felix Jungo, Mara Truog
Photographic library Ronja Eggenschwiler, Andrea Kunz, Fabian Müller
Lithographs and Scans Georg Sidler
IT, web, media stations Anet Corti, Solarstaub Sound & Light, Zürich, Alex Baur, Thomas Bucher, Ueli Heiniger, Michael Leuzinger, Pasquale Pollastro, Danilo Rüttimann, Daniel Werder
Interviews Viviane Grobet, Valentin Groebner, Danella Mendoza, Sebastian Schaller
Translations Laurence Neuffer, Marco Marcacci, Nigel Stephenson, Coline Thomas