Roberta Fedele Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Representatives of 40 Swiss tourism companies and hotels under the sponsorship of “Switzerland Tourism”, the Swiss National Tourism Office, are in a six-day tour (Feb. 9-14) to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with the aim of further captivating more tourists from the region. Under the slogan “Switzerland Travel Experience – GCC 2013”, the various Swiss representatives are currently visiting Saudi Arabia following an intense schedule of workshop and meetings with travel agencies, leading Saudi companies and education institutions in Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Qassim. In addition, the program will also include a series of interesting “women-to-women” business and media meetings. In a press conference Saturday at Rosewoods Corniche, Swiss Consul General Hans Stalder stressed the strategic relevance that Saudi Arabia will continue to have in the Swiss market despite the imminent closure of the Swiss consulate in Jeddah. He said: It's the third time that I have the pleasure to receive a delegation from Switzerland Tourism. Budget problems are unfortunately causing the closure of our consulate but Saudi visitors will remain the most welcomed in Switzerland. Just like other embassies and consulates, it will be possible to apply for a Swiss visa through external providers based in Jeddah.” Director of Switzerland Tourism for the GCC Jorg Krebs highlighted the important role that Saudi and in general GCC tourism is gaining on the Swiss market. He said: “Tourism represents the 4th biggest sector for the Swiss export industry that boasts a 12-year presence on the GCC market. In 2012 Switzerland was able to attract 165,992 GCC tourists who spent a total of 492,832 overnights in the country. “During the same year, Saudi visitors consumed 193,000 overnights, 25 percent more compared to the previous year, accounting for almost 40 percent of all the Gulf States' market share.” He added: “For this reason we decided to enlist Saudi Arabia among our top 5 strategic markets together with China, Brazil, India and Poland. Krebs also presented some of Switzerland's most attractive destinations and seemed optimistic regarding future touristic flows from the Gulf region. “We are expecting in 2013 a 10 to 12 percent growth of tourism from GCC countries that will allow us to reach the mark of 560,000 overnights. The GCC traveler is becoming more and more familiar with the main Swiss touristic destinations and we are planning to enrich our offer introducing them to new wellbeing and sports resorts and touristic campaigns.” Alpine landscapes, vibrating urban centers, traditional handicrafts, advanced healthcare and educational centers, family-oriented touristic packages and an efficient transport system are playing a determinant role in attracting all kinds of Saudi travelers to Switzerland. The Swiss pass is a convenient solution offering unlimited travel within the country on train, bus and boat and free transportation for children who are under the age of 16 and traveling with their parents. Not to mention the free access to over 470 museums and 50 percent discount on most mountain top excursions that the pass provides. Tourists are encouraged to include a wide range of destinations in their touristic packages that may encompass alp descents, farm visits, heidi experiences, breathtaking views and all kinds of winter sports in cities like Zermatt, Interlaken, Lugano and Gstaad and medical treatments, festivals and shopping opportunities in pulsating urban centers like St. Moritz, Zurich, Lucerne, Geneva, Lausanne, and Montreux – Vivier. Krebs further said: “Health tourism has significant growth opportunities. Since 2 years, Switzerland launched Swiss Health, a new marketing cooperative promoting university hospitals and private clinics. Also our education sector is quite strong. We have excellent boarding schools and tourism management colleges in Lake Geneva region and 3 universities located in Zurich, Lausanne and Geneva that managed to be among the best 100 universities in the world.” Switzerland is also famous for its luxury hotels, cheese and chocolate factories, ancient tradition in watch making and old towns and traditional architecture.
