Another Opinion

Letter to the Editor

Dear Oprah: Switzerland is not racist, just ask your friend Tina Turner

By Elisabeth Lang, eTN Correspondent, Europe | Aug 12, 2013 

Zurich, Switzerland

Switzerland has a long culture of being a haven for the rich and famous, no matter where they are from or what color they are. 

As a matter of fact, Tina Turner has lived for over twenty years in Kusnacht on Lake Zurich and has a Swiss passport. 

Presently, there are about 5,000 celebrities in Switzerland as well as super wealthy and not so wealthy foreign citizens who enjoy a "high-end lifestyle" and the tranquility of the country. 

Not all of those people are here just for the incredible natural beauty and the white gold in the mountains called snow. They are also here for the security of their families, to protect their assets, for more privacy, and for the lump sum tax they can negotiate. They all feel safe and happy. 

You can ask the Arabs who have lived in a villa on Lake Geneva for decades, or the internationally-known celebrities who enjoy the fact that nobody bothers them or is staring at them in restaurants. 

You can find James Bond Sir Roger Moore playing golf in Wallis or famous Hollywood icons having dinner at the next table without anyone calling the paparazzi - a reason Sophia Loren feels so at home in Geneva. 

But Geneva could not survive without all the numerous Arab families who come to visit in the summer season and spend their holiday money at Geneva’s hotels and shops.  To read entire letter, click here: