The culture of Italian Grisons remains a… unique heritage

For Radiotelevisione Svizzera, PGI and BAK Economics the Italophone cultural realities below Chur create 0.83 CHF for every franc spent, but they are worth

In conjunction with the study on the economic impact of culture commissioned in 2020 by the Canton of Ticino from BAK Economics, RSI, a member of the accompanying group for the Ticino project, has decided, in keeping with its public service mandate, which extends to the whole of Italian-speaking Switzerland, to entrust BAK Economics with a further study on the cultural landscape of the so-called Italian Grisons.

Culture and economy: a truly winning combination in Ticino

RSI is for Italian-speaking Switzerland in its complexity…

The common goal is to contribute to the valorization of the cultural sector of Italian-speaking Switzerland as a whole, highlighting its economic potential.
The analysis was conducted during 2020 in collaboration with Pro Grigioni Italiano (PGI), an association that promotes the cultural identity of the region, and involved a large group of institutions and operators representative of the entire cultural offer of the Italian-speaking part of the Canton Grigioni.
The study on Italian Grisons, published in these days at the same time as the one on Canton Ticino, confirms that beyond their “social, emotional and educational role, cultural activities play an important role also at an economic level, with multiple positive effects that are transmitted on the entire regional economic system”, first of all the creation of added value and jobs outside the strict cultural sphere.

In 2020, the number of cultural workers down 5 percent

COVID: no interviews at cultural institutions and events

Unfortunately, the pandemic context partially limited the collection of data and information: in particular, it was not possible to interview visitors to cultural institutions and events in the Grisons.
The researchers made use of qualitative interviews with the heads of various cultural institutions active in the region.
The study shows that, in contrast to the Ticino’s cultural scene, the one in Grisons is characterized by the prevalence of small structures, managed on average by people who are involved in all aspects of their activities, many of them active on a voluntary basis.
These factors are also reflected on the economic level: for example, in “Grigionitaliano” the production of added value generated by subsidies destined for the cultural sector is about 20% lower than in Ticino.

Public funds for nine Swiss film festivals

The only limitation is the relative distance from the large urban centers

Apart from this fact, which is obviously linked to the particularities of the territory and to the distance from the urban centers (such as Chur), the study on Grigionitalian portrays a varied cultural sector capable of offering a quality offer, and underlines the potential of regions in which there are strong traces of great personalities of international culture who were born or lived in their valleys.
At the same time, the great potential for development in terms of tourism emerges, and the opportunity, also thanks to the networking of the actors involved, to attract visitors interested in a quality cultural offer to the Italian Grisons region.
What “can then trigger further positive effects in the economic sphere, especially related to the benefits for the tourism sector and the improvement of the quality of life”.

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The official presentation of the study on October 23, however….

The study “The Economic Impact of Culture in Italian Grisons” can be viewed on the websites of PGI, CSR and the BAK Economics institute, and will be officially presented on October 23, 2021 as part of PGI’s annual delegate assembly in Bergell.

In cinque libri “The Fabric Project” di Friedrich Dürrenmatt

Positive returns despite the absence of economic returns

The cultural institutions in Grisons generate a total direct added value of about 400,000 CHF, i.e. 0.83 CHF for each franc of subsidy allocated to the cultural sector.
This figure is lower than that found in Ticino (1.02 CHF of added value for every franc of subsidy), mainly because the cultural institutions in the Italian-speaking part of the canton Grisons are small, both in terms of the structures themselves and the number of visits per year.
In addition, the pool of local visitors (domiciled in the region) is much smaller than in Ticino.
In spite of this, the subsidy of cultural activities generates positive repercussions from both the economic and social points of view, especially in relation to a higher quality of life for the resident population, as well as the increase in the attractiveness of a region to tourists.

Switzerland and Graubünden for the promotion of Italian and Romansh

BAK Economics study on the impact of Italian culture in the Canton of Graubünden