At the 2023 Switzerland Vacation Day, almost 1,200 tourism professionals from all over the country met in Interlaken for Switzerland’s largest annual tourism conference. At the opening, the assembled industry professionals were greeted by the Switzerland Tourism (ST) marketing team and Albert Rösti, the head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC), who made his first major public appearance as a new Federal Councillor at the Switzerland Vacation Day.

In an interview, surprise guest Roger Federer provided insights into his personal preferences, his strengths and weaknesses, and his enthusiasm for travelling by train. The organisers left plenty of room for networking and individual exchange. The Switzerland Vacation Day in Interlaken achieved an overall satisfaction score of 8.4 (out of 10).

Tourism debate on the importance of long-haul markets

Regarding the conflict between utilising and protecting, Rösti showed understanding for the very high volume of regulation in his opening speech, but made it clear that his department wanted to enable, not prevent. The aim must be to make it possible to generate added value through tourism. The ensuing tourism debate, which included Aline Trede (member of the National Council for the canton of Bern, Green Party of Switzerland) and Urs Kessler (CEO, Jungfrau Railways), centred on the question of how important the long-haul markets will be for Swiss tourism in future. The panellists agreed that tourism with guests from neighbouring countries who stay longer and travel less often would be ideal. However, the way to achieve this would not be through bans and restrictions, but through incentives and innovations in the areas of energy and guest management. This was also expressed as a wish for ST.

Breakout session on the topic of the hour: Artificial intelligence (AI)

At the Switzerland Vacation Day, participants were able to register for themed discussion rounds, also known as breakout sessions. For the first time, ST CEO Martin Nydegger himself hosted such a breakout session, which centred on the highly topical matter of AI. Experts joined Nydegger to discuss what AI means for the future of Swiss tourism. Other breakout sessions focussed on topics such as Web 3.0, sustainability, and the future of the overseas markets.