Switzerland’s railway network is one of the densest and most reliable in the world. Likewise, in December 2023, Zurich main station was once again voted Europe’s best railway station by the European Railway Station Index , while Bern station also made it onto the podium in third place.

A strength that Switzerland Tourism (ST) specifically draws on for more sustainable tourism. Four different campaigns centred on train travel in 2023. ST was able to count on prominent support: tennis master Roger Federer together with comedian Trevor Noah, entertainer Michelle Hunziker, overall World Cup winner in Alpine skiing and Olympic champion Marco Odermatt, and professional freestyle skier Andri Ragettli. They all inspired guests from Switzerland and abroad to travel by train. ST worked with its long-standing strategic partner SBB on all four campaigns.  

Roger Federer and Trevor Noah: You’re never on the wrong train in Switzerland

In his already third film for ST, Roger Federer can be seen in 2023 as a global ambassador for Switzerland as a destination, this time alongside comedian Trevor Noah.

The promotional film for the campaign was released worldwide on 30 March 2023 and was aimed at foreign visitors. It enjoyed great success, as shown by the 82 million views (as at the end of 2023) on YouTube, the rise in sales figures for the Swiss Travel Pass, and the 872 million marketing contacts. Read the article.

Michelle Hunziker for “Swisstainable on the move”

“Swisstainable on the move” was ST’s biggest sustainability campaign to date. In contrast to the train campaign with Roger Federer, the summer campaign launched at the end of May 2023 was aimed entirely at guests from Switzerland. The main aim of the 360-degree campaign was to raise awareness of the Swisstainable movement among the Swiss population, while at the same time awakening a desire to travel by train during the summer holidays and bringing domestic tourism service providers to the Swisstainable programme. The measures led to a total of 324 contacts. What’s more, with a representative survey conducted in advance on the topic of sustainable summer holidays, as well as the visually appealing locomotive inauguration with entertainer and ST ambassador Michelle Hunziker, ST also created a media story with high news value. Read the article.

Andri Ragettli demonstrates ride&slide for Generation Z

Of course, travelling by train is not only relevant in summer. The campaign for the 2022/23 winter season showed just how convenient, inexpensive and sustainable it can be to travel to the ski slopes by train.
Campaign ambassador Andri Ragettli, himself a professional freestyle skier and TikTok favourite with 1.9 million followers, showed what travelling straight from home to the slopes by train looks like in several short videos. And he did so in typical Ragettli style on TikTok as well as other social media channels. ST was present with the campaign in selected short-haul markets, reaching 93 million marketing contacts. ST counted 85,000 website sessions on the campaign’s landing page. Read the article.

Marco Odermatt, a coach for fun on the slopes, après-ski and travelling by train

Ragettli’s successor as winter ambassador for the 2023/24 season was none other than overall World Cup and Olympic champion Marco Odermatt. He’s currently known not only as the world’s best skier, but also as an expert when it comes to après-ski and relaxation. With the “How to Winter – get out in the snow” campaign, he showed Generation Z what winter is like in Switzerland. This also includes sustainable travel by train – with the products ride&slide for European guests and Snow’n’Rail for guests from Switzerland: the high level of interest shown in the collaboration with Odermatt in Switzerland’s media is demonstrated by articles such as those in 20 Minuten, Blick or the Tribune de Genève. Read the article.