From restricting Airbnb to imposing new tourist taxes, tourism hotspots in Switzerland are increasingly trying to restrict visitor numbers. Now, Lucerne has confirmed that it will be looking to impose a new parking fee on tourists who visit the city by coach.
Famous for Chapel Bridge, the Swiss Transport Museum and the lake, Lucerne is visited by around 9,4 million tourists every year. As it is just a stone’s throw away from many famous mountains and historical sites, the heart of central Switzerland also serves as a base for many more travellers to the alpine nation.
While beneficial for the economy, the rise in tourism has put a strain on public services and the local housing market - so much so that in March 2023 the city heavily restricted Airbnb, so that landlords wouldn’t convert their rental apartments into holiday homes. At peak times, locals report it being near-impossible to move through the centre of the city quickly, due to the large number of tourists.
A recent survey from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts found that the majority of locals’ ire is targeted at coaches who deposit tourists onto city streets every day. What’s more, previous plans, which would have seen visitors dropped off further away from the city at the local hospital, requiring them to walk to the centre through a special tunnel, were scrapped in 2023 due to budget concerns.
Now, the Lucerne city council has confirmed that it will be imposing a new booking and parking system on tourists who arrive via coach. If the plan is approved, from March 2025 tour operators will have to pay a fee of 75 to 100 francs per tour.
Coaches will be able to stop and let passengers on or off at Schwanenplatz, Löwenplatz or Kasernenplatz, and stay in the Brüelmoos and Rösslimatt parking areas for 24 hours. Officials added that the revenue earned from the scheme - estimated to total 3,3 million francs a year - will be spent improving local public transport.
Later, Lucerne will also introduce a reservation system, requiring buses to register for a time slot in advance of their arrival. Though the plans are yet to be fleshed out, city councillor Marco Baumann told SRF that they “expect 20 percent fewer coaches to stop at the central stops" once both systems are imposed.
"We hope that these measures will provide relief and assume that not all coaches will drive into the city any more," Baumann concluded. The city parliament of Lucerne is expected to vote on the plans on December 19, 2024.
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