The last 18 months not only brought with them the greatest challenge Swiss tourism has ever seen, but also introduced us to new technologies, new forms of communication and collaboration, and new requirements. There had been no major structural changes within the marketing organisation for over a decade, but an agile organisation needs to constantly redefine itself. Switzerland Tourism ST therefore decided in September 2021 – on the cusp of the post-Covid world – to begin overhauling its organisation. The fundamentals had been put in place by the end of the year. The aim is to become the best national tourism organisation worldwide with the existing team. Some of the buyers who travelled to the STM confirmed to us that we are on the right track here.

Janine Hemfler, Product Manager Marketing Central Europe, DER Touristik

The STM is a good example of how ST’s organisation and structure help it run like Swiss clockwork. And during the pandemic I was especially impressed that ST provided all the necessary information on vaccination rates, restrictions and measures in the country as soon as it became clear that travel to Switzerland could be sold again. The communication between DER Touristik and ST was so good that Switzerland became bookable again overnight. This is just one reason why ST is in my personal Champions League.

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Antonis Theodorides, Procurement Manager, Australian Pacific Touring (APT), Australian market

The pre and post-tours organised by ST are legendary. They bring tour operators like us up close and personal with Switzerland. I still remember my very first trip to Switzerland. I never dreamed that I would learn so much on my first visit. For me, ST is definitely one of the top five NTOs.

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Cecilia Zhou, Manager of Miki Travel Limited, UK market

In my opinion, ST is the top NTO in the world. It was impressive that your organisation was able to improve even during the pandemic, for example with your billboard advertising at Piccadilly Circus, and of course by recruiting Roger Federer as your ambassador. The way you work closely with partners such as the airline SWISS and the consulates is also outstanding. That is palpable everywhere.

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Rupert Möschel, Purchasing and Product Management, ÖBB Rail Tours, Austrian market

I can’t draw comparisons with other NTOs, but I can say that ST demonstrates a great deal of engagement, be that with its many initiatives or campaigns with newspapers. You really feel the passion within the organisation. Keep it up! Everything runs perfectly.

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Khushnooma Dastur Das, General Manager, FCM Travel Solutions (India) Pvt. Ltd., Indian market

I work in the MICE area and am therefore mainly in contact with the Switzerland Convention and Incentive Bureau (SCIB). The consistently high level of quality is striking. With SCIB, everything is clear, on time, consistent and fair, and there is a great deal of mutual trust. For these reasons and others, SCIB/ST is in my top three worldwide and the clear number one in Europe.

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Mats Ekberg, CEO and founder of KONFIDO, Nordics market

I work exclusively in Europe, but in my view ST is the undisputed number one in this continent. ST understands how to address the specific demands of each individual country. We also greatly appreciated the constant and reliable help in keeping pace with the different pandemic rules.

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Frederico Fajardo, Director of Fred Tour, Brazilian market

Unlike other NTOs, ST always proactively ensures that we can come to Switzerland and experience the very diverse products for ourselves. This helps us enormously in correctly understanding what we are selling and also brings us closer to our customers. Another striking positive factor is that we have always had good market managers. We had Adrien Genier, then Christina Gläser and now Fabien Clerc, who is doing a fantastic job even after such a short time in the role, and of course in the midst of a pandemic. For me, ST is far and away the top NTO.

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Suraj Mainat, founder and CEO of TRAVTIPS Travel and Tourism LLC, Gulf States market

Switzerland was the first European destination to welcome back visitors from the Gulf States in 2021. Switzerland Tourism’s office in the United Arab Emirates proactively promotes the country as a holiday and travel destination, is easy for agents to work with and is in regular contact with the local travel industry. In my view, that makes ST one of the top five NTOs in the world.

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ST involved the sector and its partners in the reorganisation wherever possible. The key changes at a glance:

  • The markets will now be run by a Head of Markets West and a Head of Markets East. Market presence and proximity to customers will be widened and deepened over the next few years through the creation of new antenna offices. These additional locations will bring ST closer to potential customers and local partners. The antenna offices will be run by individuals whose role is to gain new local customers and test out the potential of their markets within a limited timeframe. The first new antenna office will be opened in Lisbon in 2022.
  • Marketing will be reorganised into the following units: Campaigning, (Partner) Content, Media Planning, Asset/Content Production and Accommodation & Gastronomy.
  • The various areas of event planning, coordination and organisation will be brought together in a new department.
  • Digital management will be more clearly structured and differentiated, with a focus on digital analytics and a reinforced content team for MySwitzerland.com.

The current ST organisational chart can be found at stnet.ch/organigramm.