Platforms such as Uber, AirBnB and booking.com owe their success to the perfect marriage of technology and services. Plenty of choice and easy booking processes mean convenience for customers, while participating providers benefit from global market access (short study from 2017 on online platforms, German only).

Switzerland Tourism is taking advantage of these network effects, either by looking to cooperate with the most relevant platforms for the sector, or – where it makes sense to do so – by bundling the tourist service providers so as to create its own (in some cases temporary) platforms. Examples are ST’s pop-up-hotels and Alpine hut finder projects. With eye-catching measures such as these, Swiss providers have the chance to stand out against the global competition.