Indian agents key to Swiss Tourism
On the sidelines of the Switzerland Travel Mart (STM) 2013, Jürg Schmid, Director of Switzerland Tourism, talks about the importance of the Indian market and how Indian travel agents are the key for them to reach out to the market.
How important is the Indian market for Switzerland?
India is one of the fastest- growing markets to Switzerland and we have strong demand coming from there. Indians are interested in exploring different cultures and Switzerland gives them plenty of opportunities to do that. However, Indians visit only the ‘touristy’ spots, while we believe there’s a lot more to explore in Switzerland. We have been working closely with our travel trade partners to focus on the lesser- known parts of Switzerland, like the south of Switzerland, the Italian and French- speaking parts of Switzerland, the national park of Switzerland - the first and oldest park of the Alps.
All said and done, we have a very good position in the Indian market and Bollywood has helped a lot. It still helps, and we are very, very grateful to them.
What do you intend to achieve with an event like the STM?
STM is a unique opportunity to meet travel trade partners, to show them new routes and to be in touch with them, especially for newer markets like India and China. Through STM, we can bring in new routes and tours into the catalogues of the travel trade partners so that we can complement the offerings.
So, do you think Indians need to explore more while travelling?
Traditional travelling is not a bad thing, when you travel to a country for the first time, it’s important that you see the very iconic highlights like the Jungfrau, the city of Zurich and Lucerne, we don’t want to change that. But from India, we see more and more repeat travellers, people who come a second time with their families. We also see multi-generational travels like the grandparents, parents and kids. We want to show them new things. And we do that by showcasing these destinations through various marketing channels. Bern, the host city for STM-2013, is a small city compared to Delhi or Mumbai, but it has a lot to offer and presently it’s not too popular among Indians and does not figure in their agenda. Emmental, near Bern, is one of the most traditional areas of Switzerland, it’s really authentic and it is perfect for Indian travellers. But every country starts with the iconic highlights.
How important a role do agents play for you?
In a market like India, agents are the key. Indians book their travel through agents, there are very few in the business travel who book online directly, but travel trade
There are countless ways for visitors to discover Switzerland. Among them are a host of sporting activities - a mainstay of Swiss tourism since the early days. In winters, the Alps are a paradise for skiers and snowboarders, perfect for tobogganing and cross-country skiing. Activities that have become fashionable more recently are available too: more than 2,300km (1,430 miles) of marked snowshoeing trails and 5,100km ( 3,170 miles) of prepared and marked winter-walking paths offer a unique way of experiencing the Swiss winters. Summer activities include canoeing, sailing, mountaineering, Nordic walking, golfing, and swimming – to name just a few. partners are the key for our business. They have great potential. But I feel they now need to add a new dimension to Switzerland. When I talk to clients, they ask for new things and sites to visit, and that’s the next important step for us now.
What are the figures that you’re looking to achieve in India?
We intend to see a double-digit growth next year, somewhere between 1015%. India will continue to grow and there’s this new middle-class that has started to develop and it is here that we see a great
potential.
What are the challenges that you face in the Indian market?
One of the challenges in India is to grow into the TierII cities. We have a very good presence in Delhi and Mumbai, but there are many more cities that have started to develop, and we need to reach out to them. We have also planned roadshows to a few Tier-II cities this year.
Have Indians evolved as travellers?
Yes, Indians have evolved as travellers. The first group that we had from India had very less exposure, they worked differently, but now travellers have matured and they know how to react to different things.
What are you focussing on next in India?
We are now focussing on MICE incentive travel market in India, as this segment is now booming and we see a growing demand. People want to bring in their employees in order to motivate them. And normally, B2B follows the trail of leisure travel. So now, we are working on the MICE market.