Roger Federer has been caught in the middle of a row between an MP andSwitzerlandTourism. 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.

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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.

Roth recently criticised the campaign involving Federer by saying: "Have we generated additional traffic here with taxpayers' money? Is it really worthwhile to attract tourists from all over the world to Switzerland with such expensive campaigns?"

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."

Switzerland Tourism director Martin Nydegger has now revealed how much of the increase in tourism is down to the organisation. Speaking to Blick, he said: "I cannot prove the effect with concrete data. Internally, we estimate that one in six visitors is a result of our global marketing efforts. The interaction between the state and private tourism companies works perfectly. Added to this are the magnificent landscapes, unspoilt nature and fantastic mountains – which are, incidentally, the three main reasons for travelling to Switzerland."

He went on to defend the tourism agency’s position as well as its flagship asset, Federer, when asked whether the tennis icon and other celebrities were really needed to attract new visitors.

Nydegger explained: "We don't want to put additional pressure on tourist hotspots that already attract enough visitors from abroad. With Roger Federer and Halle Berry, we are targeting less frequented regions and want to steer tourists more towards the autumn season. That's why we went to Vitznau (on the shores of Lake Lucerne) and Emmetten (in the canton of Nidwalden) with these two stars. These two places are certainly not tourist hotspots."

When pressed about how much taxpayer money is being funnelled into advertising campaigns starring Federer, he said: "Do you want to know if Roger Federer earns money from Switzerland Tourism? I can tell you that he doesn't earn a penny from us. He said it himself at the beginning of our collaboration: ‘I have been successful because I grew up in a country that gave me the stability I needed to be successful. The last thing I want is to receive taxpayers' money for my commitment.’

"We make a modest contribution to Roger Federer's foundation, which uses the funds solely for disadvantaged children in Switzerland. This is stipulated in the contract. And we cannot make this contract public. Nor can I tell you how much the other stars earn. If I could, I would gladly do so, because you would lean across the table to shake my hand if you knew that these celebrities promote Switzerland for such a small amount of money.

"We are a promotional organisation, and we have a mandate from the Swiss Confederation. With figures like Roger Federer and Halle Berry at our disposal, we naturally want our message to reach as many people as possible. And I would add this: with our latest advert, we achieved greater reach than in previous years, despite reduced promotion and budget."