Since COVID, we have observed two major trends in the tourism industry: a significant increase in the number of travellers and growing difficulties for hotels and restaurants in recruiting staff. In Zermatt, both trends are clearly visible. Overtourism is evident every day, and the quality of service in many restaurants has become truly disappointing. If there is one restaurant that perfectly illustrates my point, it is the Walliserhof. Our waitress barely spoke English, did not know the names of the drinks on the menu, and our meal was served without any cutlery. Combined with what tasted like an industrially produced cheese crust, the overall experience was far from successful. To top it all off, when the bill was presented, we were asked to leave a tip. (In Switzerland, service is already included in the price). After I declined, the waitress walked away without even saying goodbye.
