The travel restrictions brought in because of the Covid-19 pandemic hit Swiss cities particularly hard. Overseas visitors and those in the meetings sector – which the previous year had accounted for large numbers of hotel overnight stays – were almost entirely absent in 2020. Switzerland Tourism ST therefore decided to make cities a new target group and replanned the entire customer journey, with a focus on domestic visitors and those from nearby countries.

Financed from the recovery budget

One of the measures undertaken as part of the cities campaign was to produce a Cities magazine, which ST was able to bring out at short notice thanks to additional funding from the recovery budget. From planning to production took just six weeks, and the magazine was published at the start of October with a print run of more than 300,000 copies.

The Cities magazine contained hand-picked tips for enjoying autumn in all its colourful splendour.

Its 64 pages profiled 20 cities spanning all parts of the country, with information on the main tourist highlights alongside some hand-picked insider tips for enjoying autumn in all its colourful splendour. The magazine appeared in German and French, being aimed mainly at domestic visitors. To produce the magazine, ST worked with the editorial team of Transhelvetica magazine, who also co-produce the ST summer (green) and winter (white) magazines. 

Positive feedback from the tourism industry

In German-speaking Switzerland, the 2020 Cities magazine was distributed as a supplement in SonntagsZeitung and Transhelvetica. In French-speaking Switzerland, it appeared as a supplement in Le Matin Dimanche. Feedback from readers and city partners was extremely positive. One such reviewer was Sandra Dissertori of Ticino Turismo, who wrote: “I devoured the Cities magazine over Sunday breakfast. I love it!”