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The Covid-19 pandemic was on a scale like nothing we have seen before, which made it difficult for decision-makers to take the right measures at the right time.
Switzerland was in lockdown from mid-March until early June 2020. After that, the Federal Council incrementally eased the rules, following the principle “as fast as possible and as slowly as needed”.
From a tourism perspective, business could finally restart from 6 June, when cable cars, boat services and campsites were allowed to reopen. To tackle the great uncertainty that people felt after months of lockdown, Switzerland Tourism ST launched a major global marketing offensive. In connection with this restart, the new umbrella campaign “I need Switzerland.” was rolled out for the first time for the launch of the summer season.
Inspiring confidence with the “Clean & Safe” label
The new campaign was designed to inspire trust in holidaying in and travelling to Switzerland. That included the new Clean & Safe label with a dedicated website setting out all relevant safety concepts for the different sectors. It is a clear and simple tool for communicating Switzerland’s mandatory safety concepts. This is particularly relevant for international visitors.
48-hour cancellation: a goodwill gesture
Goodwill was greatly needed, given the constantly evolving nature of travel restrictions. ST teamed up with 346 partner hotels to offer the possibility of cancelling room bookings at up to 48 hours’ notice, free of charge. An overview of the partner hotels could be found on MySwitzerland.com and booked directly through the STC booking form.
ST also created the page MySwitzerland.com/open for visitors wanting to find out more about the current situation in Switzerland before booking. This contained information on entering the country, alongside cable car, restaurant and hotel opening times.
Steep learning curve in Swiss winter destinations
From July 2020 onwards, people were able to enjoy time in the open air and nature, especially in the mountains. Between June and October, domestic visitors across Switzerland recorded a 12.6% jump in hotel overnight stays, mainly on the strength of good figures in mountain areas.
However, uncertainty increased again from mid-October with the second wave of the pandemic. The tourism sector was under severe pressure with regard to the upcoming Christmas period, in particular, and the 2020/21 winter season generally. However, tourism service suppliers showed a go-getting mentality and embarked on a steep learning curve to make the winter season safe for all, under the stricter rules laid down by the Confederation and the cantons.
Winter sports locations used digital technology such as apps to simplify registration in restaurants and ensure contact tracing. Innovations in Engelberg included disinfectant spray systems for gondolas and ultraviolet light disinfection for escalators, while in Andermatt slots for the Gemsstock cable car could be prebooked. All of these measures also helped to alleviate some of the uncertainty that winter visitors to Switzerland were feeling because of the pandemic.
