The grass is always greener…

Forget the Maldives. The kind of tourism getting people excited in 2025 is local, but with an exotic twist. And if it’s going to tick all the boxes, it should be unique and sustainable too. In Switzerland, it comes in all shapes and sizes, be it an overnight stay in a nuclear bunker or a hotel room with no walls(?!), fondue aboard a tuk-tuk or a trek on the back of a cow. The unstoppable globalisation of modern tourism is forcing destinations to revise their marketing strategy, which, in a perfect world, should be multilingual (naturally), of the highest quality (obviously) and authored by textocreativ (goes without saying).

Photo by Patrick Robert Doyle on Unsplash

The sky’s the limit

That was before Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson. Not satisfied with going global, tourism has turned to space – although it may be a while before you’ll find our name on a passenger list for a suborbital spaceflight. In the meantime, our clients in the tourism industry, including Aletsch Arena/Aletsch Bahnen, Crans-Montana, Hérémence, RegionAlps, Reka, San Gottardo, Stadt Zürich, Téléverbier, Valais 2025 and Valais/Wallis Promotion, are faced with much more ‘down-to-earth’ concerns.

With new globetrotter trends (or maybe globe-gallopers is more appropriate, given how travel has become universally accessible in recent decades), digital tools are the automatic go-to when planning that next escapade, including transport and accommodation, and industry professionals have no choice but to adapt. Even more so since the success of online platforms such as Booking.com and AirBnB – which are both a curse and a blessing – has ripped up the rule book.

With the result that now, for the modern traveller, escapism begins in the cosy comfort of their living room – yesterday, it was Google; today, it’s ChatGPT. Even at work between meetings or at the bus stop, you’ll witness people getting a quick fix of m-tourism, as tourism using a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet is known. Since the first (virtual) impression is often make-or-break when it comes to choosing a destination, the (digital) challenge for tourist hot spots is immense. They need to know how to present the full range of their services in an appealing way, stand out from the crowd and create a buzz by regularly hosting cultural events or elite sports competitions (especially in winter), while fully exploiting the potential of apps, newsletters and social media. On top of the demand for real-time information and the best deals, expectations are higher than ever with respect to access to information on site, forcing tourist offices and similar organisations to step up their imagination and investment to provide the public with touchscreen terminals and other interactive media. This inevitably leads to a pressing need for content creation and translation.

Yet even though the digital transition has given industry professionals a few sleepless nights, it has also provided for some exciting development opportunities. And for good reason: tourism isn’t just about discovering new places; the tourists of today are hungry for a genuine experience. Which is precisely what Switzerland, with its mountains and lakes, has to offer at all altitudes and for all tastes – even if the latter involves smelling of fondue after a ride in a tuk-tuk. Because in this race to be the most attractive and original, who wouldn’t pull out all the stops marketing-wise to capture the biggest share of the Swiss tourism cheese?