Switzerland Tourism to launch record tourism campaign

The appreciation of the strong franc and the difficult economic situation in some European countries do not herald an ideal summer for tourism in Switzerland. To remedy this situation, Switzerland Tourism has decided to launch the most expensive summer campaign in its history; it plans to invest 48 million Swiss francs, 101,300 more than last year.

The planned strategy includes the following objectives: to encourage Swiss people to spend their holidays in their country; to attract customers from countries outside the eurozone, such as Brazil, Russia, the Middle East, India or China; and to convince neighbouring countries – since 50% of foreign tourists in Switzerland come from the eurozone – to come and enjoy Swiss cities and countryside.

The means

Starting with its presence on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, the campaign will be as grandiose as its budget. In Switzerland alone, 3.2 million will be invested. In addition to the posters, plans have been made to shoot a fun video featuring the characters of Sebi and Paul, putting them in the roles of country folk discovering the attractions of shopping in the city and the casino. Not to mention two brochures that will be distributed through Coop and UBS.

Promotion abroad

Abroad, several operations will be conducted simultaneously. The famous Harrods department store in London is already decorated in the colors of Switzerland, and will remain so throughout the month of April. This will reach 1.4 million visitors. In Spain, four giant doors will be installed in Madrid and Barcelona. The two million passersby will be overwhelmed by Swiss smells and sounds as they pass through them. Germany will be targeted with invitations to journalists. Switzerland Tourism plans to participate in a series of travel trade shows. For example, the institution will be present in Korea. And nearly 500 invitations have been sent to the Switzerland Travel Mart, which will be held at the end of the month in Geneva.

The institution is awaiting a decision from Parliament, which is expected to be made in June. If the political class heeds the calls of the tourism industry, it could well increase this advertising budget by 12 million francs.

Source: www.tdg.ch