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Martin Nydegger, do you have to change your vacation plans because of Corona?
No, I planned my vacation in Switzerland anyway. We are going to Ticino. I am fortunate that I don’t have to plan my summer vacation differently.
“Dream now – travel later” is the new slogan of Switzerland Tourism. When it is “later”
Currently we are all locked up and cannot travel. No one thinks that is great. But you can dream. We want to awaken anticipation for the later time. We hope it will be June 8th at the latest when travel and vacation are possible again.
What if the Swiss dream of 2020 and save money for vacations abroad in 2021?
That is not out of the question. We have identified three types for the tourism industry: the pragmatist who travels again as soon as the restrictions are relaxed. The procrastinator who needs a lot of information and who has to be convinced that he is safe. He will stay in safe Switzerland for a long time, travel more by car, and spend the night in a vacation apartment than in a hotel. And then there is the fearful one. He will set the crisis early and postpone his vacation.
Has 2020 been lost for Swiss tourism?
2020 will be a terrible year. But not all is lost. January and February were very good months. Now we have a room that was terrible. Cities are particularly affected. It would be high season for city breaks and business tourism. Depression is particularly brutal. In mountainous areas it was more of a low season. Depression is comparatively less severe. We have six months from June to save what can be saved.
Are there any predictions of what summer will be like?
People are reluctant. Mountainous areas and rural Switzerland could do well. They are not that close to each other there. Holiday guests will be able to walk, swim and bike. In the mountains you also get the impression that everything is a little cleaner, the air is cleaner. Weekends and school holidays will be well booked there.
That sounds optimistic.
Measured against the crisis, the starting point is fine. Summer can take place. Now we hope that people will have confidence. However, our capacity is reduced. Restaurants, hotels and mountain railways will only be able to offer around half their capacity.
Are you worried that things will get difficult?
No I dont think so. You can control it, with reservations. It will be a summer when it is recommended to make reservations in restaurants, hotels, trains or museums. In normal summer you can do something spontaneously. This will be less the case this year. The summer commandment is therefore: Reserve!
Speaking of protection concepts for restaurants and hotels: there are many criticisms from the industry. They have senses?
The protection concepts were elaborated with great care by the associations together with the BAG and make absolute sense. Now it’s about gaining experience and also about where you should optimize concepts. Over time, the rules for guests and businesses will be as natural as they are for today’s purchases.
What will be different this year?
The whole environment will be different. People avoid each other. You keep your distance. We will also feel this social change during the holidays. The Swiss are very disciplined.
They will all compete for the Swiss guests. Is there a discount battle?
That would not be wise. The guests don’t expect it either. The crisis has demonstrated the importance of local businesses. We stand in solidarity with local SMEs, for example with hairdressers. We have all seen them pass underneath. The same solidarity will also be shown towards restaurants and hotels, I am convinced.
Holidays in Switzerland: this is what the highest tourist expert recommends:
Do you think that all the holiday regions will receive a little inland tourism?
No We cannot live on Swiss guests alone. We are highly dependent on exports. 45 percent of our guests come from Switzerland in a normal year. That is a proud part of which we are pleased. But we not only fill our capacities with Switzerland. We need foreign guests. And they will be lost this summer. In autumn, winter and especially next year, when we are fully open again, we urgently need foreign guests. Otherwise, its failure cannot be compensated.
Would you like the borders to be opened earlier?
It is not just Switzerland. The other countries also have to participate. Mutual trust is needed. Then the borders open faster. I hope that we do not have to wait until Europe as a whole opens the borders again, but that we can agree bilaterally with individual countries to open the borders.
Germany or Austria, for example?
Germany is essential for Swiss tourism. It is the largest country of origin for us. If the borders to the north were opened, it would be a blessing. The proportion of pragmatists among the Germans is high. Many would come. I advocate not waiting too long. Because the competition does not sleep. There will be an international marketing battle for the guests. Everyone will shake the drum to limit damage.
Tourism entrepreneur Samih Sawiris massively criticized the Federal Council measures. To avoid about 100 deaths, billions would be destroyed. What do you say
It is a tradeoff between health and economy. I’m glad I didn’t have to do this. I am impressed by the performance of our Federal Council, it seems to me that it is finding the measure with gradual relaxation. Criticizing the audience is always easy. I know, I have 8.5 million volunteers. All Swiss citizens know as well as I do how to tour Switzerland properly.
Is there a big wave of bankruptcy now?
I’m afraid so. We have conducted several surveys with our associations. Of around 4,000 companies, 23 percent said they would not come out of this crisis unscathed.
What does that mean for Switzerland as a tourist destination?
Tourists will not feel so much. When one restaurant closes, another leaps into the gap. But there is great economic damage. Employees lose their jobs, unemployment increases. It can be clearly said that it is the market that regulates this. But there are no normal circumstances right now! If someone does wrong, it is okay to be kicked out. But now it also affects emblematic companies. The hoteliers, for example, who have put all the francs in their house and perhaps have also taken a loan. For beautiful rooms, clean bathrooms, a larger wellness facility. But now the revenue has dried up all at once, so even this business is in trouble.
Many companies have been poorly equipped for bad times.
There are such hotels and restaurants. But investments in infrastructure are essential! No one likes to sleep in an old and dusty hotel room. It’s a fact: Many hosts are now in crisis, even though they really did exactly the right thing.
The parliament has awarded Switzerland Tourism CHF 40 million. What are you doing with him
It wasn’t decided until Wednesday. The framework conditions are not yet clear. We are in talks with the Federal Council and the administration to clarify the conditions associated with the money.
But it mainly flows to the app for Switzerland as a tourist destination
We want to promote demand. Both in Switzerland and abroad. Federal funds are part of the recovery plan, with which we want to return to the level prior to Corona. The focus is first on Switzerland, then on European countries and finally on the United States and Asia.
When will we reach the numbers of the tourist year 2019 again?
I’m not afraid yet five years instead of three. The cut is very deep. In crises, the effect is always the same: it descends quickly and abruptly, it rises slowly and with small steps. The previous level in the mountains will be reached faster, then the cities will continue and business tourism will continue for a long time. These are often crowded events. Furthermore, the technical possibilities show that many things also work digitally.
Switzerland should be promoted as a hygienic vacation destination, he said. What does it mean
We want to market Switzerland as a safe, clean and reliable vacation destination. Customers are restless. You must regain the confidence that you can travel safely in Switzerland. Hygiene and cleanliness are an important aspect. That is why protection concepts are of great importance. We want to show you that you can enjoy your vacation here, without fear of the virus.
Switzerland has been intoxicated by the growth of guests from China and India in recent years, while the number of European guests has decreased. A mistake?
No, that was not a mistake. In 2008 in the financial crisis and 2015 in the euro crisis, the European market literally collapsed. European guests simply didn’t come anymore. They were looking for cheaper destinations. Somehow we had to make up for the loss of European guests. We achieve this with the long distance markets, mainly the United States, but also Asia. All markets have now dried up. Everyone is dirty immediately.
Especially tourists from Asia and abroad will return much later. Do you have to adjust?
The focus should be on Europe in the near future. We want to get European guests back. They are good for Switzerland because they stay longer and also travel to lesser known side valleys. Long distance markets focus mainly on critical points.
The Swiss are contemporary critics of domestic tourism. How should the offer to bring you home satisfied?
It hurts when we are criticized by our compatriots. We, and I mean the more than 260,000 employees in the tourism industry, strive to offer hospitality, attractive offers and good value for money. I can assure you that we will take special care of the Swiss this summer.
