Every summer, Switzerland draws swelling crowds, and 2025 set a new benchmark with 25 million visitors between May and October. Fueled by aggressive marketing, tourism has boomed. However, not all good things are brewing amid the rising popularity. As the negative effects of excessive tourism begin to take shape, Roger Federer, a driving force behind the country’s global appeal and the brand ambassador of Switzerland Tourism since 2021, has found himself bearing the brunt.

“Have we generated additional traffic here with taxpayers’ money?,” MP David Roth of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland asked. “Is it really worthwhile to attract tourists from all over the world to Switzerland with such expensive campaigns?”

Notably, this comes amid a tourism campaign that managed to reach astronomical popularity. Directed by renowned Swiss filmmaker Marc Roster and featuring Hollywood star Halle Berry alongside Federer, the video reportedly racked up 125 million views on Youtube, double the views of the previous year’s campaign, starring the retired tennis icon and actor Mads Mikkelsen. What also incurred anger was a proposed fund of 50 million Swiss Francs (£47 million/$63 million) being earmarked for next year’s campaign.

“Switzerland Tourism is overloading public infrastructure with public funds,” Roth further said.

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While the goal of the latest campaign was to divert some traffic toward the quieter Grindelwald, what’s happened is increased tourist footfall transforming into driving away locals. This has sparked a political debate. Critics question whether Federer’s global appeal should be used to attract even more visitors. The concern centers on public funding, estimated at 50 million Swiss francs next year, which critics say harms the very taxpayers who fund it.

Martin Nydegger supports Roger Federer and defends Switzerland Tourism’s marketing efforts

Switzerland Tourism director Martin Nydegger has addressed how much recent tourism growth can be linked to the agency’s marketing work. Speaking to Swiss news outlet Blick, he acknowledged the difficulty of measuring impact with precision but offered an internal estimate.

“We don’t want to put additional pressure on tourist hotspots that already attract enough visitors from abroad,” he said. “With Roger Federer and Halle Berry, we are targeting less frequented regions and want to steer tourists more towards the autumn season. That’s why we went to Vitznau (on the shores of Lake Lucerne) and Emmetten (in the canton of Nidwalden) with these two stars. These two places are certainly not tourist hotspots.

“Do you want to know if Roger Federer earns money from Switzerland Tourism? I can tell you that he doesn’t earn a penny from us. He said it himself at the beginning of our collaboration: ‘I have been successful because I grew up in a country that gave me the stability I needed to be successful. The last thing I want is to receive taxpayers’ money for my commitment.’ We make a modest contribution to Roger Federer’s foundation, which uses the funds solely for disadvantaged children in Switzerland.”

And as the debate continues, scrutiny of the campaign remains intense.