Reviving the Flame

8. Handing over the Flame: Legacy Projects
8.1. Project 1. Alpine Makeover
The goal of this project is to decrease the number of “cold beds” in the ski resorts on a yearly basis.
On the short term, the project must encourage chalet owners to refurbish their property and rent it to
tourists. The aim is also for a start-up to create and propose attractive renovation packages to owners.
A mid-term objective is to create attractive offers for visitors through a collaborative network of owners,
and tourism stakeholders.
On the long term, the goal is to improve the region’s offers in terms of housing and activities through a
four-season strategy, and also renew ski resort through makeovers favouring sustainable development and
the promotion of renewable energies.
8.1.1. Project’s Ideal
This project echoes to the various population voting to reduce the number of secondary homes and cold
beds in the Alpine regions, and their willingness to head toward sustainable development.
The idea is to favour a similar vision than Bhutan with a “high value, low impact” strategy (Tourism
Council of Bhutan, 2017). The Alpine region must prefer quality over quantity to preserve its natural
environment and propose superior services. Such vision requires a great carrying capacity management.
Furthermore, the plan is to enhance housing in the different ski resorts of the Swiss Alps by encouraging
people to rent their properties, and fostering the transition toward green energies.
The philosophy here is to model the Alpine villages based on the desire for sustainable development.
The vision people have of clean mountains and landscapes should become a reality by providing visitors
with renewed areas becoming increasingly autonomous in terms of energies and local resources. On the
long term, the green Swiss Alps villages would become a USP for Switzerland.
8.1.2. Target Group
In this program, two main groups are targeted. First of all, the locals. By refurbishing small villages, the
landscape will gain in attractiveness, and inhabitants will profit from this in various ways. In example, the
area becomes more visible and can attract more visitors; renovating can reduce energy consumption
through thermal insulation, etc.
The second audience will be tourism and visitors. Indeed, a region that is coherent and provides what
people expect to find and see, can only become increasingly attractive and popular. It is at this point that a
good carrying capacity strategy must be set to avoid abuse and overcrowding.
Handing over the Flame: Legacy Projects 43