Business events
Return of business travel. Business tourism entirely collapsed during the pandemic. In order to win back business travellers, Switzerland Tourism (ST) is focusing on acquiring business events together with the Switzerland Convention and Incentive Bureau (SCIB).
After a long period of working from home and countless digital events, there is huge demand for meetings to be held live again, for new contacts to be made at networking events and for education and skills to be advanced at conferences. For the organisers, safety, reliability, cleanliness and sustainability have become key deciding factors when choosing a destination. Switzerland can score highly in these areas, as well as with its accessibility and its unique proximity to nature, where participants can recharge their batteries.
Future perspectives Taking into consideration criteria for the business sector, the reason for travel, and national versus international travel, four categories have been identified with regard to the return of business travel. The main reason for travel is the need for personal interactions.
20% “No return”
Heavily cost-driven companies or digital natives with an affinity for technology who already relied greatly on video conferencing even before Covid-19.
We need discussions without mute and unmute.
15%
“Never left” Business travellers who continued to travel whenever possible even during the crisis.
60% 5%
“Waiting patiently” Business travellers from companies and sectors that are not subject to too much competitive pressure are waiting for further developments.
“Return as quickly as possible” Companies that are in intense competition and rely on personal interaction with customers as a competitive advantage.
Source: McKinsey 2021
We need Switzerland. 42
Strategy and planning 2022– 2024
