GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Fame has suddenly hit the Graubuenden hamlet of Obermutten and so far, it’s just what the townfolk wanted. Mayor M Wyss and G Flatscher, who owns the single restaurant, decided last year that the village, with all its typical Swiss mountain charm, should create a Facebook page that would increase visitors.
He made one firm promise, to post every visitor’s photo on the village notice board if they “liked” the page. Soon the notice board was covered, and as the buzz picked up speed, the village’s barn walls also began to be covered with the pictures.
The page now has more than 17,000 likes and the English version of a video showing the village has had nearly 44,000 views (the German version: 3,500). And tourism has picked up, reports tnooz, a travel industry web site. “The Obermutten page now has more fans than some of the most popular tourist traps in Europe and the regional Grabunden tourist board site has since its web traffic soar by 250%. But more importantly, at the height of the ‘campaign’ four out of five fans regularly interacted with page and each other – a figure its creators reckon is higher than pages belonging to Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Coca-Cola.”
Here’s the first video of 11 the village has posted on its page, and a more recent one, in English. You also get a peek at some ibex.
https://www.facebook.com/obermutten
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – A 50-year-old Italian clocked doing 209kph, with an average speed of 200kph, had his license confiscated and he is banned from Swiss roads, say police in canton Graubuenden. The man was spotted by police on the A13 between the border and Landquart, where the speed limit is 120kph.
Davos, Switzerland (image: WEF)
Davos, Graubuenden, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Graubuenden cantonal police chief Markus Reinhardt appears to have committed suicide, one day before the World Economic Forum opens in the Swiss resort of Davos. Reinhardt was also head of security for the WEF, which pulls in business and political leaders from around the world. The news was announced by the cantonal minister for justice, safety and health, Barbara Janom Steiner. Reinhardt’s body was found in a hotel room in Davos Tuesday morning and all signs are pointing to suicide, Janom Steiner told reporters, calling it a “personal tragedy.” No further information will be given, out of respect for the family, she added.
Reindhardt had headed the police department for 25 years. Marcel Suter, a high-ranking police official in the cantonal system, will now take over as head of security arrangements for the WEF.
