In the shape of MySwitzerland.io, Switzerland Tourism ST made structured data on all experiences and destinations publicly available worldwide for the first time in 2020, by means of an open data API (application programming interface). This puts the national tourism organisation in what remains a select group within Swiss tourism. So far, ST’s open data platform contains data on more than 4,000 destinations and over 5,000 experiences in Switzerland, in up to 16 languages.

Broad base of data and clean structure spell better quality

ST has been using the data delivered by the industry for a long time, largely for the MySwitzerland.com content hub, in order to improve the internal analysis of tourism in Switzerland and to create offers that hit the mark. In establishing a new open data programming interface, ST is now making the tested and structured data available to the industry, as well as to outside interested parties, creating an ideal data loop.

Open data: driving innovation

The compiled data, which is made available in multiple languages under a Creative Commons licence, harbours enormous potential, offering in-depth insights into Switzerland as a destination. Opening this data up beyond the tourism industry paves the way for innovative projects resulting from thinking outside the box; for instance, start-ups from other sectors can now use the data for new kinds of services and software projects, such as apps.

Thumbs up from open data expert André Golliez

The project has therefore met with a lot of approval from the open data community. “I firmly believe that opening up marketing content in this way is trailblazing, will foster innovation and will give a boost to the international trend towards open data in tourism,” declared renowned open data expert André Golliez. Ultimately, the entire tourism industry stands to benefit from this move.

ST’s digital offering and services will in future also be based on the open data API. Shared use of the interface and data promotes the uniformity and reliability of the digital offering across the board.

MySwitzerland.io – which went live without announcement in spring 2020 as a result of the pandemic – is to be steadily expanded from 2021. Negotiations on this subject are already underway with authors and data providers.