Direkt am Puls der Märkte

Which three words do you associate with the Swiss Travel System AG? 

Una: People, cooperation, happiness.

Lyandra: Positive, innovative, exciting.

What’s your favorite feature along the Swiss Travel System and what makes it special for you?  

Lyandra: The favorite feature for me on the Swiss Travel System has been the ease and seamlessness of travelling by train, bus and boat. I love how everything is well-timed and connected and how user-friendly it is. I never knew travelling by public transport could be so much fun!

Martin: No other destination in the world has such a comprehensive public transport network. It would be impossible to copy or recreate anything like that with so many different suppliers and interests. This is a legacy and we benefit a great deal from it since we can represent a truly unique product.

What do customers from your market particularly love about the Swiss Travel System?

Nina: Safety, efficiency and comfort, of course.

Lyandra: It’s hard to pick just one attribute that Indian customers love, but a few of them are the punctuality, the fact that you can reach any part of Switzerland on public transport and the cleanliness and organization.

Martin: One single ticket to hop on/hop off any mode of public transport in order to discover this unlimited scenic theme park called Switzerland. Americans appreciate how neat, clean and reliable everything is and they love to travel like a local.

How would you describe your Job in 2 sentences? 

Una: I introduce the Swiss public transporation highlights and tickets to Chinese travellers and motivate them to travel Switzerland by train, bus and boat.

Nina: My job is to devolop the market awareness of the Swiss Travel System by digital and offline promotions in Greater China area, while to keep good relationship with media and KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders).

Martin: First of all, it is getting everybody excited about this idea and travel style of exploring Switzerland by train, bus and boat. Whether it is towards travel trade, media or to the consumer, I represent, promote and ultimately enable selling the Swiss Travel Pass.

Thinking back to your very beginning. What were your first tasks when you started promoting the Swiss Travel System in your market?

Nina: Create and build up Swiss Travel System official account on Wechat. And initiate a programme of social media yearly.

Martin: First, I had to get to know who are the most relevant players among the travel trade, media and our distributors. Building on that network of relationships is essential and has been ever  since.

What is the most interesting part of your job?

Una: Meet and cooperate with different organizations and people.

Nina: From my point view it would be online and offline promotion. Since, I really enjoy the experience of knowledge accretion during the project, while the improvement of market awareness makes me proud.

Lyandra: For me personally, I love working with the travel trade in all the different aspects. Whether it’s joint marketing activities, training programmes, sales calls and queries from travel agents and tour operators. Their motivation and commitment to selling the Swiss Travel System in India is inspiring and pushes me to do my best to help them to sell it.

What are the biggest challenges in your job?

Lyandra: The biggest challenge in my job is making sure all the different stakeholders are satisfied with the activities being carried out in the market, while ensuring that our key messages remains strong, and that we are able to maximize all opportunities available.

Nina: In my view, currently the biggest challenge for me would be the market recovery for the post COVID-19 period due to the undefined governmental restrictions and other unexpected situations. 

What are the advantages of your presence directly in the target market for our company and our partners?

Una: Think locally and communicate locally.

Lyandra: Having my presence directly in India helps the STS AG as well as our partners in achieving their India ambitions. Together, we can devise and implement marketing strategies that appeal to the specific needs and requirements of the Indian consumers to achieve our goals, as well as to ensure that we remain front of mind for any activities and campaigns being carried out by Switzerland Tourism, as well as our key distribution partners in India.

How does your cooperation with the headquarter in Zurich look like?

Lyandra: My co-operating with HQ in Zurich has been very smooth. I have regular chats with the team, as well as had any queries answered very quickly. On my visits to the office as well, I have been made to feel a part of the team and that my contributions are valued and of importance to the organization.

Martin: Whenever I am back in Switzerland I look forward gathering with my colleagues at headoffice. It is invaluable to have a regular personal exchange on central and also more long term developments in order to implement these in the market. Even while remote I fully feel part of the team. Here again as a market manager I am in frequent contact across departments and also involved in projects on a regular basis.

Can you identify specific trends in your market that could have an influence on your work in the future?

Una: Technique makes oversea travel easier to normal people’s life. I believe a big potential for Greater China market.

Lyandra: In a post-pandemic world, I believe that Indian travellers will start to travel in smaller group sizes of 20-25, which gives us an opportunity to try and convert them from the coach to the train. Additionally, I expect mono-destination holidays to increase, and we can promote longer stays in Switzerland and therefore more STS products and passes.

Interviews im September 2021