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Open Switzerland project has designs on rebranding the country
DestinationsSwitzerland Tourism is a savvy marketer of the country given its series of hick-farmers videos, but now a design firm is challenging the perception of the country, and enlisting creative souls to help redefine the destination. You can kiss cuckoo clocks and secret bank accounts goodbye. Base, a network of design firms with offices in [...]
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No Davos Olympics, as Swiss voters reject 2022 bid
DestinationsSwiss voters in the mountainous canton of Graubuenden shot down a proposal to bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics in a referendum. Voters in the eastern province, which is home to the ski resorts of St. Moritz, Klosters, Arosa and Davos, today rejected the proposal with 52.7 percent against. The turnout was about 59 percent. [...]
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Davos and St. Moritz mull 2022 Winter Olympics bid, but locals aren’t charmed
DestinationsSt Moritz is famous as a playground for the rich yet financial concerns are undermining public support for the glitzy resort’s bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in tandem with nearby Davos. Voters in the Swiss canton of Graubuenden, where both towns are located, will decide in a referendum on Sunday whether or not [...]
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Swiss Air considers Beijing route to get more Chinese tourists into Swiss shops
TransportSwiss International Air Lines Ltd. is exploring services on the Geneva-Beijing route as the entry of Air China Ltd. opens up potential for a code-share partnership. Demand is being driven by a surge in the number of Chinese citizens vacationing in Europe, Chief Executive Officer Harry Hohmeister said in an interview. Geneva offers visitors a [...]
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The New York hedge fund manager imposing his will on a Swiss skiing village
DestinationsSince hotelier Tobias Zurbriggen can remember, the business of running Saas-Fee has been a local affair. Now, the Swiss ski resort neighboring the Matterhorn is feeling the heat from a New York-based financier. Edmond Offermann, a nuclear scientist turned millionaire working for hedge fund Renaissance Technologies LLC, invested 15 million Swiss francs ($16.4 million) in [...]
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HotelTonight expands into Germany and Switzerland as it tops 4 million downloads
DigitalLast-minute hotel booking app HotelTonight has seen tremendous growth since its launch in January of 2011. The company announced Monday that it has reached four million downloads over the past 2 years, and is now expanding the service further into Europe. Starting today, you can book a hotel using the service in two new countries: [...]
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SkiftAds of the Week: Ireland, Switzerland, Le Meridien, Canada, and Aeroflot
DestinationsThe next few weeks are a traditionally slow period for travel with companies and tourists getting back to work after the holidays. We expect a lull in destination advertising as the debut of spring-themed travel ads is just weeks away. The exception to that is Ireland, which just launched a yearlong marketing initiative and aired [...]
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The cultural cliches the travel industry uses for Chinese tourists
DestinationsIt starts out well, or well-meaning at least. Chinese outbound tourism is the fastest and biggest growing sector in travel, as outbound tourists rose to 70.3 million in 2011, and are expected to rise to 82 million this year, up 17 percent. And everyone wants these hordes of Chinese travelers spending money, especially the recession [...]
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Switzerland probes Booking.com, Expedia and HRS on hotel rate parity
DigitalSwitzerland has followed in the footsteps of the UK and began a probe of the rate parity practices of several online travel agencies, including Booking.com, Expedia and Hotel Reservation Service. Switzerland’s Competition Commission announced December 11 that it launched an investigation into the practices of the three online travel agencies, all of which sell hotel [...]
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The strength of the Swiss franc is hurting European tourism to Switzerland
DestinationsU.S., Dec. 5 — The Swiss tourism sector was again badly hit in summer largely due to the strong Swiss franc. New figures show half a million fewer hotel overnight stays compared with the same period in 2011, mainly due to a drop in European visitors. …
