One hundred years after the creation of ST, its activities are still underpinned by the same vision: to ensure the success of tourism in all the country’s regions and to make them more relevant than ever before. The dual strategy pursued by ST is a key part of this objective. While the strength of the Swiss franc has had a negative impact on Switzerland’s appeal in the eurozone for some years now, ST has focused its activities in this market on customer segments that are most likely to want to travel to our country. Today, Switzerland is well positioned to benefit from the return to growth. At the same time, in long-haul markets in Asia, in particular, ST has laid the groundwork to attract an emerging customer base that has become essential to the success of the Swiss tourism sector.

Taking advantage of the rapidly changing expectations of travellers

ST complements its dual strategy by identifying tourist trends. The need to be unique is a growing inclination among travellers. It is therefore crucial to identify and compile offers at national level that enable these travellers to stand out from the crowd and share their exceptional experiences. This is the reason behind the development of platforms such as My Swiss Experience: to respond to the current expectations of tourists and to enable tourist organisations across Switzerland, from urban centres to the smallest Alpine villages, to contribute to the country’s successful tourism sector. I am confident that ST’s role in transforming these social trends into opportunities for tourism in Switzerland will become even more important in the coming years.

Jean-François Roth, President