A few short answers to the questions people are most likely to ask about the Smart Tourism Index.
The score asks one main question: where is the best place to base yourself for a Swiss trip? It combines a Base Score for local stay quality with an Access Score for reachable day trips by public transport.
No. It is one specific view on Switzerland as a travel base. It is not a final verdict on which place is best in every sense.
Not perfectly. The index is useful for comparison, but it simplifies reality. Places can serve very different trip styles, seasons, and traveller needs.
The index is not meant to force one perfect answer. Similar scores often mean several places are strong options in different ways. That gives you a shortlist to explore based on your own preferences — region, landscape, or whether you prefer mountains, lakes, or cities.
The index is built on the BFS overnight stay statistics. Only places included in that dataset can be part of the ranking.
Because the index depends on the BFS overnight stay database. If a place is not included there, it cannot be ranked.
Not in the strict sense. The model uses processed datasets and timetable-based reachability at the time of calculation. Results reflect the latest processed data, not constantly changing live conditions.
At least once a year, when major underlying datasets are refreshed.
The model uses validated SBB public transport hubs for each place, checks possible connections with timetable data, and keeps destinations that can be reached within 60 minutes.
Each place receives sub-scores across several dimensions. These are combined into a Base Score and an Access Score, then merged into one total score.
Weighting is needed because not every factor should count equally. At this stage, the weighting was defined by the project creator. The methodology is open, so the choices can be challenged and improved over time.
No index can include everything. Some factors are excluded because comparable national data is missing, inconsistent, too subjective, or hard to measure fairly across all places.
Because reviews are hard to compare fairly across all places. They can be inconsistent, platform-dependent, and heavily influenced by popularity or personal expectations.
Water is part of the Base Score. The model looks at meaningful nearby water within 2 km, using lake area and river size, so large lakes and wide rivers count more than small ponds or narrow streams.
Because overtourism pressure is not measured by raw overnight stays alone. The model uses overnight stays divided by resident population. This means a larger place can absorb tourism differently from a small mountain village.
Because overnight stays are one of the few indicators available in a consistent and comparable way across all indexed places. They do not capture every type of crowding — especially daytime peaks — but they provide a reliable baseline for comparison.
No. The project is ongoing and will continue to improve over time. Feedback and contributions are welcome. It would also be great to see similar initiatives in other regions and countries.