After the Covid, the population is on the rise in the mountain regions – rts.ch

In Charmey (FR), the population has increased by 6.4% over the past four years. The school, freshly renovated, must already expand.

“We are complete for this year, we had to open two other classes. There are 258 students. The projection for 2028 is more than 320 students”, indicates the municipal councilor Anne-Blanche Dias-Nussbaumer Thursday in the 7:30 p.m. .

“Create start-ups”

Over the past ten years, the mountain population in Switzerland has increased from 1.99 million to 2.14 million inhabitants, an increase of 7.5%. A rise that has further strengthened after the coronavirus pandemic. If the infrastructures must follow, the jobs too.

“We must encourage innovative companies to come to the mountains to create start-ups so that people can work and live in the same place,” said Friborg National Councilor Christine Bulliard-Marbach.

This is what entrepreneur Bruno Chevrey did. He left Geneva for a new life in the mountains, in Valais, where he created his own business.

“I have the feeling of being privileged compared to the rhythm that people continue to have to assume. After the Covid, it was the war in Ukraine, the energy issues. All of this feeds people’s feelings. Here, I I feel like I’ve been saved from it,” he says.

Bern invests

Charmey is the typical example of an attractive mountain region. It brings together quality of life, economy and tourist offers.

“There are ski lifts, but also all the restaurants and other nearby tourist attractions that attract people. That’s what makes a destination interesting,” notes Pierre-Alain Morard, director of the Union fribourgeoise du tourisme.

Federal policy has also understood the importance of mountain regions. The Confederation will invest some 17 million francs for their development.

Claudine Gaillard Torrent/Carine Regidor/gma