Zurich was identified in 2026 as one of the world’s most attractive cities to live in, with quality of life, safety, health, income and stability among its strengths. Rankings like this appear to belong to relocation. Increasingly, however, they also say something about tourism.
Travelers are testing lifestyles
Flexcation, remote work, longer stays and repeat travel make it possible to experience a city as a temporary resident. The neighborhood café, supermarket, public transport, park, sense of safety and ability to work well begin to compete with traditional attractions.
Sightseeing does not disappear. A new layer of value is added: what would my life feel like here?
Liveability can become destination equity
Cities known for organization, mobility, nature, education, food and urban quality accumulate attributes that can influence both residence and travel. The same bike lane improving residents’ lives improves the visitor experience. The same is true of parks, safety and connectivity.
The product changes when the stay becomes longer
Longer stays create demand for kitchen, laundry, workspace, gym, convenience, neighborhood access and coherent pricing. Hotels, serviced apartments and short-term rentals increasingly compete in a space between hospitality and temporary living.
When a traveler stays longer, the city stops being scenery and becomes routine.
Quality of life is also communication
Many destinations still promote mainly monuments and landscapes. For long-stay audiences, creators, executives in blended travel and mobile professionals, showing how a place is lived can be more persuasive: walking, eating, working, meeting people, exercising and reaching nature.
There is an important limit
Turning liveability into a tourism argument requires care. Additional demand can place pressure on housing, services and neighborhoods. The same asset attracting visitors can be degraded by poorly managed growth. Lifestyle tourism therefore needs to connect with capacity, regulation and local benefit.
What this means for destinations
DMOs can broaden their definition of competitiveness by incorporating indicators usually associated with cities to live in: mobility, safety, digital connectivity, access to nature, relative cost, services and neighborhood experience. The next-generation tourism destination may also be a destination for temporary life.
Sources and context
Travel + Leisure · Zurich and quality of life · Travel + Leisure · welcoming cities for expats