Federer caught in crossfire after role in £47m investment

Roger Federer has been caught in the middle of a row between an MP and Switzerland Tourism. The Swiss tennis hero, 44, became a brand ambassador for his homeland’s tourism board in 2021 and has been instrumental in sparking a surge in travel to Switzerland.

The European nation has seen a rise in visitor numbers each summer, with a whopping 25 million tourists flocking there between May and October 2025. Yet, while the tourism agency has experienced strong growth as a result of its advertising campaigns, some of the population and several areas are said to be feeling the adverse effects of too much tourism.

Switzerland Tourism’s latest promotional campaign was led by acclaimed Swiss director Marc Forster and featured Federer alongside Hollywood star Halle Berry.

The advert was a hit, racking up over 125million views on YouTube – twice as many as the previous year’s campaign which included Federer and actor Mads Mikkelsen.

The aim was to divert some of the tourist traffic in Grindelwald towards the quieter autumn season. But this move has reportedly angered some locals who typically enjoy a break from the tourist crowds between the peak summer and winter seasons. This issue adds to the broader problem of overtourism affecting areas like Lauterbrunnen, Iseltwald and Ticino.

It has led to questions being raised about whether someone with Federer’s reach should even be used to attract even more tourists using the public’s tax money – estimated at 50million Swiss Francs (£47m) next year – which negatively affects said taxpayers. One outspoken critic of the campaign is MP David Roth of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland.

The Lucerne representative has long spoken of the negative impact of mass tourism from far away countries. He previously submitted a parliamentary question to the Federal Council over whether state-subsidised tourism promotion is compatible with sustainability goals.

He continued: “Switzerland Tourism is overloading public infrastructure with public funds.” The tourism organisation responded by saying: “We do not provide information on the budgets of individual projects.”