Ticino woos guests from German and French-speaking Switzerland with a new campaign

The tourism sector in Ticino is preparing to welcome guests again. Since May 4, 2020, hotels are once again allowed to accommodate tourists. The majority of Ticino's accommodations will consequently open their doors in the course of the month. On May 11, the starting signal was given to restaurants, bars, museums and retail. A further step is to follow on June 8, when it is expected that all other tourist service providers will also be allowed to resume operations. This clear roadmap will enable Ticino Turismo to start courting guests again. A multi-stage campaign is being launched and is aimed primarily at tourists north of the Alps.

"See you soon - Ticino is looking forward to seeing you".

After Ticino had to ask its guests with a heavy heart to stay at home at Easter, the moment has now come to actively court them again. "After the crisis, we are now entering the recovery phase with the opening of hotels and restaurants," explains Angelo Trotta, director of Ticino Turismo. "The last few weeks have shown us all how important tourists are for the canton of Ticino. They will therefore be more than welcome."

This part of the campaign is heralded by the slogan "See you soon - Ticino is looking forward to seeing you".

"We want our Swiss guests to know that tourism in Ticino is coming back to life," explains Manuela Nicoletti, marketing director of Ticino Turismo. "The solidarity from the rest of Switzerland for Ticino has been great. Many have contacted us via social media in recent weeks and expressed how much they missed visiting Italian Switzerland at Easter. A key part of this phase of our campaign will therefore be close contact with guests via social media, featuring Ticino fans' favorite places."

With the relaxation phase come the first steps towards normality and vacations in one's own country will be possible for Swiss people. In order to generate bookings for the summer and autumn season, Ticino Turismo has therefore joined forces with its distribution partner Swiss Travel Center Special offers where guests benefit from a 20 percent discount on the daily rate of selected Ticino hotels until Oct. 31, 2020. Included are hotels of all categories.

Relaunch of Ticino Tourism with the message "Exoticism is so close".

The complete relaunch of Ticino Tourism is currently scheduled for June, so that Ticino Turismo will then move into the next phase of the cross-media marketing campaign. When the other tourist service providers are expected to be able to reopen on June 8, 2020, the motto will be "Welcome back - Bentornato". Under the motto "Exoticism is so close", the various exotic, Mediterranean landscape aspects of Italian-speaking Switzerland will then be showcased. In addition, guests will continuously receive specific tips for summer vacations in Ticino. These include places of strength in nature to regain energy after the crisis, ideas for hiking and biking excursions or activities on the water. In addition, hygiene will play a greater role for vacation guests than before, which is why this factor, which is actually taken for granted in Swiss hotels and restaurants, will be addressed more strongly in Ticino Turismo's communication in the future. The aim is to highlight the fact that safe travel is guaranteed in Ticino.

Hope for German guests in summer

The possible opening of the borders with Germany, France and Austria from June 15, 2020 was held out, so that foreign tourists could also spend their summer vacations in Switzerland. "Even though the largest share of guests in Ticino traditionally comes from Switzerland, we usually have many visitors from southern Germany, especially in August and September," explains director Angelo Trotta. "With the opening of the border before the summer holiday season, Italian-speaking Switzerland could thus also be an attractive alternative for Germans to the usual beach vacations on the Mediterranean."

"Vivi il tuo Ticino" - Holidays for Ticino residents in their home canton

In addition to the campaign to attract guests from outside the canton, the Ticino government, together with Ticino Turismo and the Cantonal Bank, launched the "Vivi il tuo Ticino" project last week. The aim is to boost the local tourism economy and encourage the local population to rediscover their canton. To this end, all residents of Ticino will receive vouchers offering a 20 percent discount on hotel stays in the southernmost canton and restaurant vouchers worth 25 Swiss francs that can be redeemed at local restaurants. The promotion is valid from June 22 to September 30, 2020.