Project at a glance
Swiss mountain regions are increasingly facing the challenge of creating vibrant and sustainable destinations - for locals as well as for guests, second home residents, employees and employers. Local communities can play a key role in this: They promote a sense of belonging, commitment and year-round revitalization.
In the Innotour-funded project "Development of sustainable communities in destinations in mountain regions", ways of successfully initiating and supporting community building in Alpine regions were researched and tested between 2023 and 2025 together with the pilot regions of Andermatt and Bregaglia and the Institute for Tourism and Leisure (ITF) at the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden.
The project has resulted in a practical guide that leads destinations, municipalities and other interested communities and organizations step by step through the process of developing local communities. It is based on scientific principles and concrete practical experience in the two pilot regions.
Publications on the project
Communities in mountain destinations: Guide to developing local communities (2025)
The 7-step guide is aimed at destinations, municipalities and other stakeholders who want to strengthen and/or build new local communities.
- [PDF German] | [PDF Italian] | [PDF French] (to be published mid-August 2025)
White paper (2023)
Initial interim findings were already published in a white paper at the end of 2023.
We support you in community building
Would you like to strengthen communities in your region or build new communities? We offer methodical and strategic support throughout the entire community building process - from the initial impetus to a self-sustaining community.
What we offer
- Analysis and assessment (e.g. analysis of the current situation, stakeholder interviews, topic identification)
- Planning and support of participation processes (e.g. workshops, participation formats, moderation)
- Building and activating local communities (e.g. identifying key people, clarifying roles)
- Monitoring and evaluation (e.g. feedback formats, progress measurement)
- Strategy consulting for long-term anchoring in municipalities and destinations
Our 7-step guide forms the basis, but can be flexibly adapted to your local circumstances.
Would you like to find out more? We will be happy to advise you.
Are you interested in coaching on how to apply the guidelines in your region? We are giving away a free coaching session.
