There are only a few destinations that have occupied the Indian imagination as enduringly as Switzerland. For decades, its snow-capped peaks, emerald meadows and postcard-perfect Alpine villages have existed somewhere between cinematic fantasy and travel aspiration, a major credit for which goes to Bollywood's timeless romance with the country. But the Switzerland that today's Indian traveller seeks is no longer confined to iconic viewpoints or familiar film locations.
A new generation of travellers is looking for experiences that are slower, more personal and deeply rooted in local culture. They want to hike through Alpine landscapes instead of simply photographing them, savour regional cuisine, meet local communities and discover corners of the country beyond the well-trodden tourist trail. As traveller expectations evolve, so too does the way Switzerland Tourism tells the country’s stories.
In his conversation with IMPACT, Simon Bosshart, Chief of Markets East at Switzerland Tourism, shares how the organisation is reimagining its India strategy, from appealing to audiences around passion points like skiing, luxury and gastronomy to preparing for an AI-first era of destination discovery. He also reflects on Bollywood's enduring influence, the growing importance of creators and digital storytelling, Switzerland's long-term sustainability vision, and why authenticity remains the country's strongest brand asset.
Watch the full interview here:
Here are some edited excerpts from the interview:
Q. India is a key market for Switzerland Tourism. Over the past few years, how have you seen preferences of Indian travellers evolve, and how has your growth strategy kept pace with it?
If you look back, not only in India but across many overseas markets, there was a very generic positioning of Switzerland, focusing only on the highlights. Now, it is much more about immersive travel. It is much more about the experience, encountering locals, and finding hidden gems and new places that are not well-known. Today’s Indian travellers are staying longer, travelling across different seasons, and are much more aware of and focused in their choices.
About 15-20 years ago, our marketing in India was centred on the ‘Best of Switzerland’ narrative. Today, we talk specifically to skiers, food and culture enthusiasts, luxury travellers, and so on.
Q. Bollywood has long been an ambassador for Switzerland in India. Does it still deliver measurable value today?
I would strongly assume so. Measuring its impact precisely is difficult, but from my own experience speaking with people in India, Bollywood still comes up in almost every conversation about Switzerland. It has played a key role in creating a strong image of the country in the hearts of Indian people, and that goes beyond generations. The first wave of Indian travellers were directly involved, or strongly connected, to specific movies.
Even the younger generation is aware of that connection. Even though, fewer Bollywood films are shot in Switzerland today, a lot of people still want to see those places, in addition to other things. So, we really have to be thankful to the people at that time from Bollywood and Switzerland who built that connection. At that time, it was just about shooting movies, but that has set a very stable base for the image that Switzerland still enjoys in India.
Q. Travel has now become a cluttered ecosystem. How is Switzerland Tourism still staying culturally relevant in India?
For us, the most important thing is staying on ground. That sets the base for us to understand what is really needed. While digital communication allows you to run campaigns globally, I firmly believe that we need to stay close to the market to see changes. This sets the base for an understanding of changes in the travel trade, what subjects are relevant for Indian guests, etc. The objective of marketing is always to connect Switzerland to the current reality of people here in India.
We also work a lot with ambassadors i.e., personalities from India who have a strong connection with communities here.
Q. Destination marketing is becoming very AI-centric. How is that influencing your marketing strategy?
AI has two sides. Internally, it has an impact on your work processes. On the other side, you need to ensure you stay relevant for travellers in the age of AI.
Switzerland Tourism has been very successful in terms of digital communication through our website, which remains one of the world's most visited destination websites. But AI changes the game. Earlier, we optimised our content for search engines. Now, people might not even visit your website anymore. Many travellers simply ask ChatGPT or Claude for travel recommendations and destinations.
That's why we're working on what we call Switzerland 3.0. On one hand, it is a new website release that will reshape the consumer journey, and will be more localised, which means it will deliver recommendations based on your interests,
On the other hand, the whole content ecosystem is being rebuilt in a way that's readable and discoverable by AI systems.The biggest challenge for us is to ensure that you do not get false information about the destination. And the second is to ensure what you find is the Switzerland that we would like you to experience.
Q. Which marketing channels currently deliver the highest ROI in India?
Our website remains extremely important. Every campaign, whether it starts on social media, digital platforms or outdoor advertising, eventually leads people to the website, where we can tell our stories.
Beyond that, YouTube has become one of our most important channels globally. We had, in the past, separate local channels. Now, we have created a global channel which we use for different markets with different formats and content segments. In the global strategy, India plays a particularly significant role because in terms of numbers, it is simply the biggest market. We have been producing several India-focused formats, including Ticket to Switzerland—a series based on a challenge to win a ticket to Switzerland. That is a format we are going to continue.
