Skift Take
With hybrid work now here to stay, Switzerland is confident there are still legs in the blended travel trend.
Switzerland is trying to persuade business travelers to extend their trips through a new marketing campaign.
Called “Fly another day,” the campaign features a 30-second video ad that encourages business travelers to arrive in Switzerland a few days early or later and “take some time for yourself.” In a montage, viewers see Swiss fondue and cheese, clear lakes, and the iconic Matterhorn and Schilthorn in the Alps.
Martin Nydegger, CEO of Switzerland Tourism, said the ad is the first time Switzerland Tourism has targeted business travelers.
The country hopes to capitalize on the rise in remote work and growth in blended travel, where travelers combine business trips with leisure time, said Claudio Zemp, director of Americas for Switzerland Tourism.
Cashing in on Blended Business and Leisure
Switzerland’s tourism officials are one of the few to target the trend in business travelers adding leisure to their trips. About 60% of business travelers in the first quarter of this year extended their trips for leisure in the previous three months, according to a Skift Research survey.
“It’s very, very clear that the blended trip purpose of travel is here to stay, and that’s driving incremental room night demand, especially on what have been traditionally shoulder nights,” said Noah Silverman, global development officer, U.S. & Canada, at Marriott International, told Skift.
Switzerland is a major corporate travel hub for global finance and pharmaceutical companies. About 20% of overnight stays are business travelers, according to Switzerland Tourism.
The new campaign comes as global business travel continues to recover to its pre-pandemic volume.
“While traditional corporate travel has seen a slightly slower recovery, we had great success with meetings and incentives,” Zemp said.
U.S. & Switzerland Increase Tourism Ties
Zemp said Switzerland is first focusing the campaign on the U.S. but plans to expand it into Asia and Europe.
Out of the country’s 19.6 million overnight stays last year, nearly half (9.6 million) were international, according to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office.
The U.S. has been one of Switzerland’s top source markets this year, with overnight stays up 24% from its pre-pandemic record in 2019. In the first six months of 2024, American overnight stays were up 11% from last year.
Switzerland is also the 7th biggest investor in the U.S., where Swiss companies are active in manufacturing, wholesale trade, and professional, scientific, and technical services.