Desparately seeking Heidi: tourists take to the Heidi Trail in the Alps in eastern Switzerland. 13 Photo

Enjoying the summer weather on the shores of Lake Lucerne. Keystone

No mountain too high for these Asian visitors on the Gornergrat above Zermatt. Ex-press

Gulf State tourists taking in the scenery near Lake Lungern in central Switzerland. Keystone

Switzerland and its famous attractions like Chillon Castle on Lake Geneva are a popular backdrop for Asian honeymooners. Keystone

One of the most visited attractions in Geneva is the Reformation Wall. Keystone

Travelling can be exhausting - napping on the way up the mountain in the Jungfrau region of the Bernese Alps. 13 Photo

The saddle below the Jungfrau peak is billed as the Top of Europe, and is a key draw for Asian visitors. 13 Photo

The promenade in the southern Swiss town of Ascona. Keystone

Acclimatising at the Hörnli hut - the cabin where climbers stay before beginning their ascent of the Matterhorn. Keystone

Zurich's Sechseläuten square also proves to be a draw for overseas visitors. Keystone

Tourists line up to shoot Bern's iconic 'Zytglogge': a city gate topped with an ornate carillon. Keystone

In summer, mountain passes are a favourite with motorcyclists and motorists in no hurry to get from A to B. 13 Photo

Lucerne and its lake of the same name is a must stop for many Asian tour groups. Ex-press

The Oberalp Pass in central Switzerland. Keystone

A landscape of fast running rivers and gorges attracts tourists - and filmmakers. A scene in a James Bond film was made close to here. Keystone

Travelling the old-fashioned way to the mountain resort of Stoos. Keystone

The colourful pageant of marching cows down from the mountains at the end of summer in the Appenzell region in eastern Switzerland. Keystone

Who's the stranger here? European tourists admire Scottish highland cattle grazing on an Alp above Davos in southeastern Switzerland. Keystone

As if they can't get enough: Scandinavian tourists playing in the snow on the ski slopes above St Moritz. Keystone

From an outsider’s perspective, Switzerland’s alpine scenery and iconic attractions haven’t changed over the years. But what has changed is the outsider.



This content was published on July 5, 2016 - 11:23

Dale Bechtel

Dale began his career at Swiss Radio International, the predecessor of SWI swissinfo.ch, in the 1990s. He reports on everything and anything happening in the Swiss Alps, from politics and climate change to tourism. More about the author | Editorial Board Ester Unterfinger Trained as a picture journalist at the MAZ media school in Lucerne. Since 2000 she has worked as a picture editor in various media concerns and as a freelancer. Since 2014 she has been with swissinfo.ch. More about the author | Multimedia

From the 19th century to the end of the 20th, visitors to the country came mostly from western Europe and North America. The exception were the Japanese.



Now, Chinese and Indian tourists outnumber the Japanese, and they have been joined by large groups from the Gulf states. These new ‘outsiders’ have become in many ways part of the landscape in the most popular alpine areas.



(Photos: Keystone, Ex-press, Photo 13, Ti-Press, picture editor: Ester Unterfinger, text: Dale Bechtel)

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