Tips for holidays and leisure with a dog in Switzerland (Issue 07/20)

"Discover the world - experience adventure", that is what H-und.ch Tourism stands for. The online platform which exists since March 2017, has set itself the goal of uniting all dog-friendly service providers in Switzerland. It offers free tips on how and where dog owners can spend their leisure time in Switzerland together with their four-legged friend.

The dog has a different value nowadays. It has changed from a utility to a pet, which enjoys a very high status in the family. Analysis and research have shown that the number of dog owners in Switzerland has increased by three percent from 2013 to 2016.

AMICUS counted more than half a million registered dogs in 2019. Older people also want to stay active and enjoy the company of a four-legged friend. They want to spend their leisure time together, not leave their pelt-nosed friend to strangers and not travel so far. In addition, we in Switzerland are lucky to have the best conditions for hiking and other recreational activities even in summer when temperatures are high in the Alps.

The dog does not know bad weather conditions and thus offers a possibility to keep the utilization of tourist service providers stable or even improve it even in bad weather times. Some Swiss service providers have already adapted to this demand and explicitly refer to "dog-friendly" on their websites.

H-und.ch Tourism picks up the trend of Switzerland Tourism "Back to Nature" and has set itself the goal of uniting all dog-friendly service providers in Switzerland, generating advertising for them and creating a community.

All dog owners in Switzerland and also foreign guests should be able to use this platform as an input for their leisure activities free of charge.

More than just a platform

The website now has over 1.5 million visitors. Thanks to great cooperation with e.g. the Swiss Ski School, Alpine Rescue, the Swiss Agency for Accident Prevention in Agriculture (BUL) and Herd Protection Switzerland, additional courses such as "Snowshoeing with Snow" or "Driving a chair with a dog" as well as various Expert Tips offered for prevention.

Dog etiquette is in the foreground

Only if mutual consideration becomes a matter of course, the increasing intolerance towards dogs and their humans can be prevented. responsible dog owners who live the H-und.ch dog etiquette will be accepted as members and benefit from many reductions in tourism throughout Switzerland.

In the near future, H-und.ch would like to find a company that is willing to integrate the quality label into an existing business. It is also conceivable to merge H-und.ch into an association or foundation.