New head of the Asia-Pacific market group at Switzerland Tourism

ST includes the markets of Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan), Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand), Korea, India, Japan and Australia/New Zealand under the Asia-Pacific region. In 2019, the last "normal" year before the Covid-19 pandemic, these markets accounted for 11.3% of all hotel overnight stays registered in Switzerland, according to the FSO. ST estimates that this market share is not expected to rise to a similar level again until the end of 2024 or 2025.

Significant industry and international marketing experience

Sandra Babey has been selected as the new Head of Market Unit Asia-Pacific from several applicants as part of a regular selection process. The tourism specialist has many years of global expertise in ST marketing.

As a qualified hotelier-restauratrice and graduate of the Swiss Hotel Management School in Lucerne, she worked as Marketing & Sales Manager at the Hotel Wilden Mann in Lucerne. In 2009, she joined ST in international tourism promotion as Marketing Manager for ST in Spain, where she took over the overall management of the Iberian market (Spain and Portugal) in 2013.

"Sandra Babey will take on the new role of Market Group Head Asia Pacific in addition to her responsibilities for Australia and New Zealand and is now also part of the extended management", explains Simon Bosshart, Head of Markets East and member of the ST Executive Board. "Her main task is to support and guide the store managers from this region in planning their activities and implementing the ST strategy. As a member of the Market Group Management team and the extended Executive Board, she also has a strong voice in ST's strategic market orientation."

Babey will take up her additional role and seat on the EMT on January 1, 2024. Her predecessor Sara Roloff will leave ST at the end of 2023.