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It can outshine a Federal Council. To unveil the chocolate fountain in the new chocolate museum, Roger Federer drops a golden ball and all eyes are on it. And not about Ueli Maurer, who also traveled to Kilchberg on Thursday afternoon for the inauguration.
The Lindt Foundation has done a lot for the “House of Chocolate”, and not just in terms of marketing. 100 million francs went to the construction of modern Basel architects Christ & Gantenbein. There is an exhibition, a shop, and the nine meter high chocolate fountain to experience. The goal: attract 350,000 visitors.
In the land of chocolate shops
So many visitors is an ambitious project. Chocolat Frey, the Migros chocolate factory with the largest market share in the retail sector in Switzerland, attracted just 77,000 visitors in 2019. That is why owner Migros recently decided to close the visitor center in Buchs.
Then there is the big competition. Half a dozen Swiss chocolate factories offer guided tours and direct sales, and around 917,000 visitors come each year, according to the Choco Suisse industry association when asked by SRF News.
Lindt aims to attract 350,000 visitors each year. And that’s not far from the half a million that the most visited museum in Switzerland, the Lucerne Transport Museum, reaches. “I think it’s quite modest,” Ernst Tanner, president of the Lindt Foundation, tells SRF News.
Personally, expect even more crowds. With the Swiss who went on a trip. And with international tourists. “After Corona ends, I expect 150,000 to 200,000 visitors from around the world,” says Ernst Tanner.
“It’s not that simple,” says Jürg Stettler, professor of tourism at the University of Applied Sciences in Lucerne. “Sure, the Chocolate Museum is a great attraction, the brand is strong and very well positioned with Roger Federer as an ambassador, but 350,000 visitors a year, that’s not guaranteed,” he says.
The visitor structure is decisive for the success of the Schoggi Museum. It is questionable whether Lindt will succeed in attracting international tourists – for example, Asian tour groups stopping at Kilchberg on their way through Switzerland.
The highlights of the chocolate fountain
To reach tourists, the chocolate maker works with Zurich Tourism. The “Casa del Chocolate” is now one of the four key partners of the marketing organization. This means that Zurich Tourism is promoting the new offering, both at home and abroad, as director Martin Sturzenegger explains.
“We are in constant contact with tourists, so it makes sense for Lindt to work with us,” says Martin Sturzenegger. Zurich as a destination also benefits. “Chocolate is a subject associated with Switzerland. And now we can offer chocolate with a great design. “
The tourism director estimates that the 350,000 visitors expected by Lindt will be reached quickly. If the crown crisis is over. Until then, the new Chocolate Museum has a Swiss audience. The chocolate fountain has been bubbling since Thursday afternoon.
