The Winter Olympics in Graubünden in Switzerland can result in direct total sales of between 3.7 and 4 billion Swiss francs up to 2022 through candidacy spending, implementation costs, investments and additional tourism effects and generate up to one and a half million additional overnight stays. This is shown by an independent study commissioned by the Grisons Association 2022, which was presented to the public on Tuesday. Both candidature and implementation have an impact beyond Grisons: More than half of the value-added and employment effects occur outside the canton.
As expected, tourism in Graubünden would be the main beneficiary of an Olympic candidacy and the holding of the 2022 Winter Olympics. In Grisons alone, between 520,000 and 975,000 additional overnight stays would be generated. In the period up to 2022, the games in the canton would trigger 1.5 to 1.8 billion francs in gross value added. For the canton of Grisons, this would correspond to 1.6 to 2.0 percent of cantonal gross domestic product (GDP) per year. According to the study, around 30 million francs of the candidature costs of 60 million francs could be spent in Grisons.
The figures presented in Landquart on Tuesday are the results of a scientific study by the research network Rütter+Partner, who Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and the Magglingen Sports University, which was carried out on behalf of the Grisons Association in 2022. “The economic effects are an important part of our feasibility assessments, because Graubünden must also make economic sense in 2022,” said Graubünden 2022-Director Gian Gilli presenting the study in Landquart.
Positive attitude of regular guests
The Winter Olympics in Grisons would create a volume of work in the order of 12,000 to 15,000 person-years by 2022. In addition to the quantitative effects, long-term effects of a qualitative nature are also expected for the economy. “Education and professional experience are among the factors that keep Swiss competitiveness alive. The intensive preparation and implementation phase of the games will provide thousands of employees in tourism and related services with unique experiences. The people of Graubünden and the Swiss economy will benefit greatly from this training effect,” says Marco Ettisberger, Secretary of the Grisons Chamber of Commerce and Employers' Association, with conviction.
Before the 2022 Games, training camps and test competitions, but also conferences and “Olympic tourism” generated by the great publicity will lead to a growth in the number of overnight stays, the scientists report in their study. During the games, capacities will then be used to full capacity and guests will also move to other cantons and neighboring countries.
“During the games, there will probably be no more bed available in Grisons and a certain number of regular guests will also not be able to start their holidays as usual in winter 2022,” states Andreas Züllig, hotelier and president of Hotelleriesuisse Grisons. However, experience, such as the 2003 World Ski Championships, shows that these guests accepted this well. “They move their holidays forward, postpone them or temporarily move to other holiday destinations. The following year, they are all back almost without exception.
But that's not all: Many of the guests are downright proud that their holiday home is hosting such a major event, and they explicitly say yes.”
Pan-Swiss perspective and tax effects
The economic effects of running for and holding the Olympic Games are by no means limited to the host canton: 1.7 to 1.9 billion francs in direct sales and around 500,000 to 750,000 additional overnight stays would be incurred outside Grisons. This would result in around 8,000 annual work expenses. Switzerland is also benefiting heavily in terms of tax effects: In total, gaming revenue would result in 400 to 440 million francs in additional taxes, 75 to 95 million of which would be in the canton of Grisons.
A second part of the study deals with the long-term legacy of the Games after 2022 in the areas of infrastructure, media & image, tourism, sport & excellence, innovation & technology, network & business platform, and society & culture. It will be presented at the end of 2012.
Notes on the results: The study report and presentation slides are available below www.gr2022.ch/downloads ready to download.
infos
Association XXIV. Graubünden 2022 Winter Olympics
Christian Gartmann, media spokesperson
gartmann@gr2022.ch
+41 79 355 78 78
Dr. Heinz Rütter, Rütter+Partner
heinz@ruetter.ch
+41 44 724 27 70
Prof. Dr. Jürg Stettler, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences
juerg.stettler@hslu.ch
+41 41 228 41 46
gartmann.biz supports Graubünden 2022 in media and marketing: Christian Gartmann is Head of Marketing & Communications at the Graubünden 2022 Association.