Stade de Geneve (capacity 30,000) - opened in
2003 and the home ground of Servette FC.
Geneva, a city of approximately 180,000 inhabitants in south-western
Switzerland on the border with France, is mainly perceived throughout
the world - through its international vocation and humanitarian dimension
– as a venue for meetings and exchanges. Its 2,000 years of history
have also given Geneva a rich cultural heritage. Famous as a financial
location, as well as for its congresses and fairs, Geneva is also, in
its turn, a capital city of religion, watch-making, business, industrial
science and gastronomy.
Famous spirit
Geneva's famous spirit is often evoked, as if to justify this extraordinary
diversity and degree of excellence achieved in so many fields. On reflection,
however, it is difficult to dissociate the natural elements from the more
ethereal aspects which help build and nurture the city's reputation. In
the list of gifts developed over the centuries, Geneva's legendary hospitality
and tradition for making people feel welcome have certainly been decisive.
However, the capacity of thought and action displayed by certain pioneers
in the hotel branch, together with other tourist sector visionaries, have
contributed to Geneva's open attitude towards the world.
Natural environment
From the Middle Ages onwards, Geneva, this city of markets and fairs,
has built up infrastructures to welcome people that will never stop improving.
Basking in the privilege of an exceptional natural environment that Jean-Jacques
Rousseau described so aptly at the end of the 18th century, Geneva has
never since renounced its tourist vocation.
Tourist capital
Nowadays, tourism in Geneva means an average 10,000 visitors each day
– either for business or for pleasure – 20,000 jobs and an annual
added value of euro 1.15bn euro (1.8bn Swiss francs), according to a study
by Geneva University. This small city, which organises more meetings than
New York each year, which receives guests from around 100 different countries,
is entitled to call itself a tourist capital.
Touch of humanism
Our city is contributing to the outstanding development of world tourism
that the experts have been predicting, while also adding a touch of humanism.
With a population that knows how to integrate hospitality into its way
of living, we are proud to be able to honour our reputation as a tourist
capital.
