After Switzerland Tourism ST launched the “Swisstainable” movement together with the entire Swiss tourism industry in 2021, a world premiere followed in 2022: a portfolio of offers in the area of sustainable tourism in Switzerland that could be booked directly. To achieve this, ST and the globally active destination management company Kuoni Tumlare entered into a partnership.

Kuoni Tumlare and ST signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the aim of developing and selling sustainable Swiss tourism products worldwide over the following three years. It marks the first time that an explicitly sustainable set of tourism experiences and offers in Switzerland could be booked around the world. There is an emphasis on proximity to nature, engaging authentically with local culture and increasing the duration of stays in Switzerland, all of which are aligned with ST’s sustainability strategy.

In addition to the partnership with Kuoni Tumlare, another partnership with The Travel Corporation TTC, one of the biggest players among the major international tour operators, was also established. With both new partners, ST succeeded in making sustainable tourism offers in Switzerland globally visible and, above all, bookable.

Sustainability travel packages bookable worldwide

For historical reasons, both Kuoni Tumlare and TTC have a broad-based and active presence in North America. However, it is also involved in marketing activities in many other ST markets, both in Europe and overseas, for example in Asia, Brazil and Australia.

The available travel packages were aimed primarily at individual travellers and small groups, but also organisers of incentive travel. Through this partnership, ST and both key accounts are encouraging all Swiss tourism providers to get involved in the Swisstainable programme and become part of Kuoni Tumlare’s and TTC’s new product range. As of October 2022, 30% of Swiss service providers in TTC’s portfolio were already participating in the programme, compared to 15% for Kuoni Tumlare.

On the other hand, the focus was on the sales staff of these tour operators around the world, who were trained in the Swisstainable theme.