Stay in a Swiss Alpine Hut!

SWITZERLAND Tourism has unveiled the theme for its 2017 summer campaign for the next two years dubbed ‘Nature wants you back’ - CLICK HERE to view.

For the first time, visitors will have the opportunity to stay in traditional alpine huts that have been used as summer residences by local farmers.

“Most of these huts are simple & remain in their original form but have been made available as holiday chalets to encourage travellers to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and reconnect with Mother Nature”, director of Switzerland Tourism Australia & New Zealand, Mark Wettstein said.

Alpine Huts can be accessed via myswitzerland.com/alpinehuts & are available and commissionable to wholesalers and retailers when using a link to their own reservation platforms.

Over 250 self-contained mountain huts are listed on myswitzerland.com, starting from approximately $240 per week for a simple hut through to $4,000 per week for a luxurious, modern chalet that can accommodate up to 12 people.

The new campaign will also promote My Swiss Experience, an online tool that offers travellers over 700 local and unique experiences in Switzerland such as Witches in Zurich and Trekking with Goats day tours.

Wildlife Watching is another key theme with more than 100 day packages available where visitors get to learn and encounter the behaviours of local species such as ibexes, beavers and vultures in their natural habitats.

Speaking with Travel Daily, Wettstein said Switzerland had seen a 12% growth in overnight visitors from Australia in the 12 months through to Apr 2017, with 70% of travellers visiting between May and Oct.

Agents are also being reminded that there is less than a month to register and complete Switzerland Travel Academy’s e-learning program ( TD 25 May) for a chance to win a spot on its Sep famil plus other prizes.

Pictured at Centennial Homestead in Sydney yesterday is: Francois Michel, Lake Geneva Region; Angela Meier, Zurich Tourism; Rayomand Choksi, Titlis and Birgit Weingartner and Mark Wettstein, Switzerland Tourism.