A data-based ranking of Swiss places as travel bases
Smart Tourism Index defines a strong base destination as a place that combines local quality, lower tourism pressure, and good access to tourism experiences across Switzerland.
It produces a ranking of Swiss places based on two dimensions: the Base Score, which measures how suitable a place is to stay in, and the Access Score, which measures how easily visitors can reach tourism experiences from there.
The model draws on a broad set of public data on local quality, connectivity, and tourism pressure. Smart Tourism Index is built as an open-source project. In the current edition, 184 Swiss places are assessed.
Base Score measures how well a place works for staying, getting around, and spending time there. It incorporates local quality signals, landscape, culture, and tourism pressure.
Access Score measures what a place connects to beyond itself — major destinations, natural features, and experiences reachable within a reasonable travel radius.
A destination can rank well for one reason or both. A well-functioning local base. Strong regional reach. The most interesting places in the index tend to combine both.
Smart Tourism Index asks one question: how suitable is a place as a base for exploring Switzerland? It combines local stay quality with access to day trips and regional experiences by public transport.
The ranking is built from public data — not editorial judgment or user ratings. Sources include the Swiss Federal Statistical Office BFS, MeteoSwiss, swissTLM3D, OpenStreetMap, and more.
This is not a booking tool or review platform. It adds one specific, structured lens focused on reach, local quality, and visitor pressure — not a total verdict on any destination.
Famous places may rank lower than expected. Visibility and suitability as a travel base are not the same thing. A well-known destination with high visitor pressure can score below a smaller, less prominent place with strong local conditions and regional reach.
Places with similar scores are often equally strong options viewed from different angles — region, landscape, or character. The index is not designed to force one perfect answer, but to help you build a shortlist worth exploring further.
Each place is scored across two layers: Base quality and Access potential. The score reflects local conditions, regional reach, and tourism pressure.
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A strong travel base is not only the place itself. It is also what the place gives access to beyond it.
Methodology →A data-based comparison through one defined lens. Not a review score, not a popularity ranking.
Full FAQ →Overtourism is partly a concentration problem. Structured data can help surface better-distributed alternatives.
How pressure is scored →The challenge was not collecting data. It was making diverse public datasets produce reliable, comparable results across 184 places.
Smart Tourism Index is an independent project exploring how public data can offer a more structured view of Swiss destinations as travel bases. The methodology is open, the ranking is transparent, and the project will continue to evolve over time.
If you spot a data issue, have a suggestion, or want to discuss the methodology, reach out via LinkedIn.
The project is independent and continues to evolve. Useful feedback helps.