"It seems to me that we have been able to establish a new axis of friendship between Basel and Obwalden," Daniel Scardino, Managing Director of Obwalden Tourism and chief host at the pop-up store, sums up. For six weeks, he and his team, accompanied by representatives of the Obwalden food industry, were guests in Basel to inspire new guests for Obwalden.

New curiosity

Scardino is particularly satisfied with the concrete interest in the tourist offer of his region that could be triggered during the Basel presence. "Many conversations were gratifyingly detailed," he says, concretizing: "The interest of many visitors was tangible; we found that there is a clear and often detailed curiosity about our vacation region."

Scardino cites as reasons the relative unfamiliarity of Obwalden's vacation offerings to date and the associated insider tip character, as well as Obwalden's quick accessibility from Basel.

Positive feedback

While tourism marketing is increasingly virtual, and not just in times of pandemic, the Obwalden pop-up concept is a deliberate departure from this practice. "With our visit to the city, we wanted to signal very clearly that we are interested in the people who spend their vacations with us," reveals Scardino. The tourism expert is happily surprised at how positively this attitude has been received in Basel: "The feedback from Basel residents has been overwhelming. I am simply delighted by the approval of our personal presence."

Cooperation as a model for the future

The Obwalden lifestyle was present in the Basel pop-up store not only because of the encounters of a touristic nature; it was rounded off by a selection of specialties and foodstuffs produced in Obwalden, for which stories and information were alternately provided by representatives of the respective companies. "This cooperation not only strengthens the overall experience for visitors, it also creates mutual identity and orientation," Daniel Scardino elaborates. For him, it is clear that such forms of cooperation are the successes of the future.

The next Obwalden pop-up store will open in Zurich in late fall, with visits to Bern and western Switzerland planned for 2022.

On the shelves and in the freezers, pasta, mushroom cultures, cheese and other foodstuffs are offered for sale. What appears at first glance to be a specialty store is, on balance, above all a means to another end: the store operator Obwalden-Tourismus wants to woo summer vacationers on Basel's Aeschengraben near the train station.

The original plan to promote the vacation destinations in the canton with mobile stands in squares and train stations fell through due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, said Daniel Scardino, managing director of Obwalden Tourism at a media presentation on Tuesday. So they resorted to a trick: food stores would have been allowed to stay open, Scardino said.

Like other vacation destinations, tourism in Obwalden has suffered from the Corona restrictions. Scardino explains that the traditional hotel industry in particular suffered a drop of more than a third in overnight stays last summer and winter. Hotel businesses that specialized in seminar or event guests were particularly hard hit, while camping tourism boomed on the other hand.

Basel to be followed by Zurich

Now the prospect of easing the measures is fuelling hopes of a recovery in business. And Obwalden Tourism does not want to let this chance pass idly by. The pop-up store in Basel is the first stop of the marketing offensive. In the fall, another station is to follow in Zurich, and next year, those responsible have their sights set on Western Switzerland.

The keyword "insider tip" is used for advertising, although the destinations Melchsee-Frutt and Pilatus, for example, are probably not quite so secret anymore. The best-known Obwalden resort of Engelberg, however, is not to be found on the posters and brochures. It markets itself on its own. (SDA)