DRMumbai: Switzerland Tourism is making elaborate plans to focus on tourist arrivals from India in 2018. Martin Nydegger, CEO, Switzerland Tourism, who was appointed in January this year, is convinced they can attain a robust growth.
“India is an extremely relevant market for Switzerland and ranks seventh globally. We have had more than 50 per cent growth in the last 15 years. 2017 has proved a great year in terms of footfalls from India as we saw 25 per cent growth rate in hotel overnights and we predict a growth rate of another 33 per cent in the next 3-4 years,” said Nydegger.
The 46-year-old CEO has been a member of Switzerland Tourism’s executive board since 2008 and previously managed the Switzerland Tourism branch in Amsterdam for three years prior to his current role.
Adding Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as the country ambassador has contributed to the success of the tourism board. This has made way for other Bollywood production houses to shoot films in Switzerland, tagging it as one of the most romantic destinations in Europe.
Recently, the actor inaugurated a ‘Ranveer on Tour’ train, which is in honour of his contribution to the increasing popularity of Switzerland as a preferred destination for Indian tourists. The train is on the Golden Pass Line and was launched by Switzerland Tourism and the Swiss Travel System.
For Switzerland Tourism, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, plus China and India are important source markets apart from the more traditional markets of Germany, the UK, the US and Italy.
“Davos is very important from the Indian perspective. Most tourists come during winters and summers with activities like museum visits, breweries, guided walks, hiking and mountain biking being the major draw. We plan to promote biking routes, self-drive holidays and train holidays as in Grand Train Tour of Switzerland. The board has even created the ‘First Ski Experience’, an easy skiing programme for beginners,” Nydegger said.
In terms of affordability, he believes that one can easily splurge around in the amazing five-star hotels or even find a very reasonably priced accommodation. “There is a wide range of accommodation available. One can stay in hotels, homestays, flats or camps, it is definitely an affordable destination for one and all, guaranteed with a picturesque view at all times,” he said.
“Indians know of Switzerland in a traditional manner from Bollywood and can always recapitulate lovely pictures of nature and romance. We would now like to show Switzerland in a more vibrant viewpoint and extend that to new seasons like autumn in beautiful colours and fits perfectly in the vacation plan of Indian travellers,” concluded Nydegger.
