Forests fulfill conservation, production and welfare functions. If forests are not considered isolatedly, but rather as part of a landscape or a region, their positive impact on regional welfare becomes apparent. The regional economic impact of the recreational use of Swiss forests is investigated in the case study regions of Sihlwald, a typical local recreation area, and Bergell, a destination for nature-based tourism. The relative importance of forests in the decision to visit the case study regions is identified by means of a conjoint analysis that assesses the forest affinity of visitors. Both the regional added value and the employment effects of the recreational use of forests are identified in an economic impact analysis. The results show that although they have a high affinity for forests, visitors to local recreation forests, such as the Sihlwald, spend little and generate rather small regional economic impacts. In contrast, the findings for nature-based tourism destinations, such as the Bergell, show a different picture: although the forest is not the most important criterion when selecting the destination, the regional economy benefits from higher consumer expenditures. The amount of visitor expenditure most notably depends on the variety and quality of tourism services in and around the forest area. Hence, to promote the regional economic importance of the recreational use of forests, tourism services in forest areas would have to be created or enhanced.