Ivan Breiter, director of Southeast Asia, Switzerland Tourism, at the Switzerland Travel Experience 2017 fair in Swissotel Merchant Court, Singapore.
“Asian visitors are staying longer in Switzerland these days, and they want to include highlights (well-known destinations), as well as hidden treasures, such as a little village with no other Asian guests, or simply being with nature,” said Breiter to Travel Weekly Asia.
Southeast Asia continues to be one of the top source markets for Switzerland, just behind China and India.
2016 was “a record year” as the region provided an average of 10-20% increase in total arrivals, with Thailand and Philippines being “very very strong”, said Ivan Breiter, director of Southeast Asia, Switzerland Tourism, on the side of the Switzerland Travel Experience 2017 fair on Monday (February 20).
With strong figures registered from all Asian markets in the last two to three months, he expects to see an increase of 10 per cent for the whole of 2017.
To ride on the strong performance, Switzerland Tourism has launched a new campaign, titled “Nature Wants You Back”.
“Asian visitors are staying longer in Switzerland these days, and they want to include highlights (well-known destinations), as well as hidden treasures, such as a little village with no other Asian guests, or simply being with nature,” said Breiter to Travel Weekly Asia.
During a presentation to travel trade and media, he cited noteworthy examples such as stays in over 120 hideaways in nature and alpine huts; up-close and personal interactions with animals; as well as authentic meet-the-locals experiences.
“These experiences – available on myswitzerland.com – were created with the travel trade in mind, as they can book and get commission from them,” he added.
While these laid-back itineraries will appeal to those who want to get out of the cities, according to Koh Poh Chai, director of Broadway Travel & Tours Pte Ltd in Singapore, he believes safety is the top reason for Switzerland’s popularity as a destination.
“When compared to other destinations, [Switzerland] is scenic and very safe. This perception of safety is especially important in today’s times, not just in terms of the threat of terrorism but also potential of pickpocketing,” he said.
Broadway Travel & Tours Pte Ltd sees a recurring interest in multi-destination trips. Conversely, less than 10% of its European travellers go on mono-Swiss itineraries, of which these tend to be older FIT tourists who have already seen most of Europe, said Poh.
In the year ahead, Switzerland Tourism will continue to focus on promoting a mix of top and less-travelled spots in the country.
Breiter said: “Before, we saw tourists focusing on 5-6 destinations in the country. Now, more than 25 Swiss destinations have seen over 1,000 nights a year each from Southeast Asia.”