Lucerne was one of the stops of a roadshow tour of Switzerland celebrating Geneva’s bicentenary. It showed opinion of Geneva is mixed. (Simon Bradley, swissinfo.ch).

Simon Bradley

Geneva is on an ambitious CHF2-million ($2.1 million) bus tour of all 26 cantons, organised by the Geneva authorities and largely funded by private donors, to celebrate signing up to the Confederation on May 19, 1815. 

One of the main aims of the tour is to try to put an end to some of the clichés about Geneva: that they are an arrogant bunch who are more interested in France than Switzerland, bad at managing the state coffers and prone to so-called Genferei (local scandals unique to Geneva).

Killing off the stereotype of being an underdeveloped canton is a priority for Geneva officials, politicians and business representatives who are meeting with their counterparts during the tour. 

Geneva officials claim they are the third largest contributor to the financial compensation scheme in Switzerland – in which wealthier communities transfer funds to needier ones.

The roadshow also hopes to pass on a better understanding of what “International Geneva” really means for Switzerland. Geneva is home to the headquarters of 32 international organisations, such as the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross.