Focus on the Swiss domestic market

Around 40 percent of guests in the Zurich tourism region come from Switzerland. The domestic market is therefore of strategic importance to Zürich Tourism. "With the Frienymoon campaign, we want to introduce Swiss guests to Zurich as a versatile city break destination - surprising, inspiring and close," says Janine Rupf, Head of Marketing at Zürich Tourism. Targeting the domestic market also supports the organization's sustainability goals, as travel within Switzerland is convenient and climate-friendly using public transport.

The campaign was conceived by Zürich Tourism and implemented together with freelance art director and designer Elena Gabriel and freelance copywriter and concept developer Dieter Boller. It runs digitally in all relevant Swiss online media as well as on the meta platforms and YouTube. Static and moving assets - from banners and reels to posts - are used to show various facets of Zurich's offering. In addition, collaborations with selected content creators ensure additional reach and authentic social media stories.

One highlight of the campaign is the "Frienymoon" competition: Anyone who sends a card to their best friend via Swiss Post's PostCard Creator is automatically entered into a prize draw to win a weekend in Zurich for two - and becomes part of the campaign themselves.

Responsible at Zürich Tourism: Andrea Scherrer (Market Manager CH / Content & Project Manager), Guxim Shoshaj (Digital Marketing Manager), Sabrina Aellig (Product Owner Digital Guest Experience) External partners: Elena Gabriel (design), Dieter Boller (copywriting), Joel Hunn (photography), Florian Winkler / Galactic Pictures (video), Gabriela Graber (copywriting), Sir Mary Media (media planning & media operations)

Zürich Tourism has unveiled the rebranding of the official city map. The new visual concept combines a stylized card shape with an emotional image layer. The advantages of the Zürich Card - such as free admission to almost all Zurich museums, free use of public transport and discounts on tours and experiences - are thus clearly emphasized and communicated in an inspiring way.

Head of Marketing Janine Rupf emphasizes: "The new design creates a visual stage to showcase the numerous benefits of the Zürich Card in an even more emotional and flexible way." The design was rolled out widely before the summer vacations: from posters and streetcar advertisements to digital media, video clips and the Zürich City Guide app. The visual identity ensures a consistent, recognizable presence across all channels.

Design philosophy of Studio Marcus Kraft

Zurich-based studio Marcus Kraft, known for well thought-out design concepts and high quality, developed the visual identity. Creative Director Marcus Kraft explains: "Our aim was to communicate the Zürich Card in a way that was not only informative but also inspiring - and to show the diversity of the city in a concise visual language."

The stylized card shape can be used flexibly: it frames image content, highlights it or forms mosaics from different motifs and text elements. The result is a modern, lively brand image that appeals to guests and locals alike.

The Zürich Card offer is also growing steadily. Since 2025, almost all of the city's museums have been included in the price. The entire design is based on Zürich Tourism's flexible logo system, which has been in place since 2017.

The three commercials use humor and creative word creations to show how unexpected new connections are made in Zurich. Be it through a fleeting glance or a good conversation that makes you forget space and time. The campaign is intended to visualize that only Zurich can offer these unique conditions for spontaneous, often unnoticed moments that make business events something very special.

"The diverse cultural offerings, the short distances between the event locations and the partnership with the Zurich Convention Bureau make it easy for event managers to create profound experiences and bonding moments for their teams," explains Vanessa Reis, Head of Convention Bureau at Zürich Tourism. "We want to convey this with a wink in our campaign."

The encounters are emphasized in the campaign through original wordplay and pointed acting. Zurich is thus not only in demand as an event location, but also as a city that spontaneously creates lasting impressions and new connections.

The campaign is designed to address business meeting and event planners in Germany and the UK on digital channels. In several flights, the target group is targeted with single image ads in addition to the commercials in order to cover all touchpoints of the user journey from the first contact to lead generation.

Customer: Zurich Tourism. Responsible at Sir Mary: Adrian Merz (Executive Creative Director), Katrin Espelage (Creative Director), Jodok Meier (Copywriter), Leandro Disler (Art Director), Torben Cording (Senior Art Director), Paul Gutjahr (Art Director), Raphael Hirt (Storyteller), Florian Maissen (Design Intern), Jasmin Jost (Senior Account Manager), Sinah Bucheli (Junior Account Manager), Anna Jakrlin (Senior Digital Strategist), Florence Scherer (Senior Strategist), Andrea Küng (Media Consultant), Katharina Günther (Managing Director Planning & Consulting), Céline Zemp (Senior Digital Operations Specialist), Max Jäger (Senior Digital Operations Specialist), Daniel Zuberbühler (Managing Partner). Production: Farbfilm Studio (Production); Laurent Arber (Executive Producer), Alessandra Dolci (Producer), Anne Mancsou (Assistant Producer), Pascal Holzer (Post Producer), Rupert Höller (Director and Editor), Matthias Helldoppler (DoP), Xavi Santolaya (Grading), Joan Minder (Photography), Jingle Jungle (Sound Design & Mix).

Following last year's successful premiere, the "Zurich Experience - Summit for Urban Tourism" will enter its second round on August 26, 2025. The venue will once again be "The Circle Convention Center" at Zurich Airport. The one-day congress is aimed at experts from the urban and national tourism sector as well as representatives from administration, business and politics. The aim is to discuss key developments in urban tourism, exchange knowledge and provide impetus for the further development of Swiss tourism.

Under the motto "Rethinking tourism", the event will address topics such as sustainable urban development, artificial intelligence, the management of visitor flows and new guest expectations. In addition to practical examples, the focus will also be on social and economic perspectives.

The announced speakers include philosopher and publicist Richard David Precht, Daniela Kolesa (Vienna Tourism), Rahul Sahgal (Swiss American Chamber of Commerce), Veronica Weisser (UBS) and futurologist Joël Luc Cachelin. The congress will be opened by the Mayor of Zurich, Corine Mauch.

Thomas Wüthrich, Director of Zürich Tourism, emphasizes the role of the event for the industry: "We are rethinking, discussing and debating tourism. The focus is on trends that are shaping city tourism, guest needs that are transforming the offering and projects that are sustainably developing Swiss tourism."

Registration for the event is now open. Further information on the program is available on the website.

The campaign presents four different types of excursion, each of which embodies an aspect of the diverse region. Time-out artist Susie stands for relaxation and enjoyment, bucket-list heroine Esther wants to discover the big highlights, experience captain Nick stands for family-friendly adventures and curiosity pioneer Paul explores insider tips and hidden places. These four personas are designed to help users identify with the various experiences in the region and discover their ideal excursions.

Interactive elements and targeted content

The campaign combines video productions with an interactive landing page including a quiz that assigns users to their excursion type. High-quality imagery and static assets ensure a strong visual identity on digital platforms and social media. A competition also offers additional incentives for participation.

Emotions and added value staged digitally

Jim & Jim is responsible for the design and implementation of the content campaign, which uses videos, social media content and playful user guidance to showcase the Lake Zurich region as an attractive excursion destination. The targeted approach to the Swiss target group raises awareness of the destination and encourages interaction with potential visitors.

Responsible at Zürich Tourism: Janine Rupf (Head of Marketing), Andrea Scherrer (Project & Content Manager). Responsible at Jim & Jim: Overall direction: Robin Steiner, project management: Clarissa Crincoli, idea and concept: Melanie Luu, Robin Steiner, Clarissa Crincoli, Carolina Jimenez, Angela Ehrsam, Andrin Buchli, Bianca Stofer, Fabio Emch, on-set production: Robin Steiner, Clarissa Crincoli, Director: Melanie Luu, DOP: Carles Mas Clemente, Gaffer: Barnabas Kelemen, AC: Marc Guerraz, Sound: Diego Reiwald, Photography: Bianca Stofer, Social Media Content: Chiara Hess, Styling, Hair & Make-Up: Kim Joëlle Steiner, Runner: Iocco Cappellari, Art Direction & Graphic Design: Angela Ehrsam, Texting: Florian Schneider, Tobias Imbach, Post-Production: Lea Schnegg, Bianca Stofer, Color Grading: Barnabas Kelemen.

In collaboration with Basel Tourism, Graubünden Tourism, Lucerne Tourism and Zurich Tourism, the Swiss technology company Holoai is developing a digital travel guide that provides guests with locally curated recommendations in real time. The solution will be available as an interactive guide via smartphones or the destinations' existing digital platforms. The project is being funded by InnoTour.

According to those responsible, the AI-supported platform enables a customized travel experience: the local guides appear as fictional or historical characters, offer background knowledge on places of interest and provide location-based recommendations - regardless of time, place or language.

"With the platform, we are creating a basis for making local expertise with generative AI accessible to guests," explains Pascal Schwager, Head of Digital Products & Services at Zürich Tourism. The technology also offers new opportunities for the destinations themselves to accompany travelers digitally without having to make large investments.

The first prototypes are to be presented in summer 2025 and the project is scheduled for completion at the end of 2025. The platform will then initially be integrated into the Zurich City Guide app and later made available to other destinations.

Zürich Tourism is undergoing a strategic realignment: With Janine Rupf, Marina Bollhalder and Marc Scheurer, the management team is being strengthened and reorganized. These structural adjustments pave the way for positioning the company in a future-oriented and market-driven manner. The establishment of the new Destination Development division is a decisive step in this process, driving forward the transition from destination marketing to comprehensive destination development.

The vision behind this reorientation lies in the promotion of tourism as an essential part of city life, which benefits both guests and the local population. The focus on sustainable mobility, the further development of the tourism offering and closer cooperation with partners from politics and business underline the goal of sustainably increasing the social and economic value of Zurich tourism.

Marc Scheurer, experienced tourism expert and new Head of Destination Development, will lead the strategic development from December. Planned initiatives include the promotion of night train connections and the creation of new experiences for locals and visitors alike. With this new direction, Zürich Tourism is setting a clear course for the future of the city.

Janine Rupf as Head of Marketing and Marina Bollhalder as Head of Operations have also joined the Executive Board. With this strategic reinforcement and a targeted adjustment of the area of activity, Zürich Tourism is proactively positioning itself in the market and strengthening the region's appeal as a tourist destination.

Zurich is regularly awarded top positions in numerous quality of life rankings. The city on the Limmat and the greater Zurich area are also attracting more and more tourists - measured in terms of overnight stays, 2023 was an absolute record year.

However, a pure focus on growth contributes neither to the quality of tourism nor to the quality of life of the population. Zurich tourism is entering a new era, characterized by innovation, high quality awareness and sustainability. "Zürich Experience" - initiated by Zürich Tourism as part of destination development and, according to its own information, the first Swiss city congress - addresses the opportunities and challenges and aims to promote dialog about the future of city tourism.

"The industry event will take place regularly in future and enable all parties involved in Zurich tourism to exchange ideas and transfer knowledge. In terms of content, our aim is to take a holistic and broader view of the concept of tourism," says Thomas Wüthrich, Director of Zürich Tourism.

The new corporate design for the congress is based on the corporate design of Zürich Tourism, which was also developed by Studio Marcus Kraft in 2017. For example, the corporate typeface created at that time is also being used. A new signet inspired by the flag of the city and the canton was designed. Eight triangles in "Züriblau" form a radiant, round, graphic symbol that will stand for the event in future.

"The appearance for Zürich Experience fits seamlessly into the existing appearance of Zürich Tourism. The fact that the new logo is made up of the Zurich flag is a consistent continuation of the citation of existing elements in the city," explains art director and designer Marcus Kraft.

The newly developed signet is expandable and can also be used as a pattern - this was particularly emphasized in the numerous moving image sequences throughout the event. The new look was implemented across a variety of print and digital media.

The event took place for the first time at the end of August 2024 at The Circle congress center at Zurich Airport with around 350 participants. The next edition of the congress will take place on August 26, 2025.

Responsible at Zürich Tourism: Thomas Wüthrich (Director), Janine Rupf (Head of Marketing), Anita Lutz (Manager Branding & Production), Tanja Cvetko (Project Manager Partner & Events), Kathrin Pfäffli (Lead Partner & Events). Concept, art direction, design, animation, sound: Studio Marcus Kraft.

The idea came from Zürich Tourism. The concept, developed by director Flo Winkler in collaboration with Tasty Pictures, stages the diversity of the city of Zurich in an entertaining way and thrives on the recognition of the protagonists with a contemporary reference.

The films have been available to watch on various online platforms and as pre-rolls on Netflix in Germany, the UK, France and Italy since the beginning of December.

Responsible at Zürich Tourism: Sabrina Bründler, Nhi Pham, Gretta Bott, Guxim Shoshaj, Janine Rupf, Nathalie Lüthi. Responsible at Tasty Pictures: Pascal Duschletta (Creative Producer), Lea Fee (Executive Producer), Florian Winkler (Director), Marco Frei (DOP), Sebastian Geret (Steadycam), UKO (Audio Post), Südlicht (VFX), Patrice Gerber (Animation), Simon Hardegger (Colorist), Luca Colaci (Composer), SiR MaRY (Distribution).

The websites of Zürich Tourism and Basel Tourism recently welcomed their visitors with an innovative new feature - two friendly and intelligent AI butlers. Both cities are thus pioneers in Europe and are moving together into the future of guest advice. The innovative technology promises personalized and automated assistance for every guest, impressively enriching the guest experience while increasing the ease of travel.

"The first experiences are very positive. It's amazing how quickly the guide learns and already provides competent information," enthuses Thomas Wüthrich, the director of Zurich Tourism. Letizia Elia, the director of Basel Tourism, is also enthusiastic: "The AI concierges master the impossible and answer the questions of our interested visitors in record time, around the clock and in almost all languages."

No traditional chatbots

The AI concierges in Zurich and Basel are not conventional AI chatbots or ChatGPT imitations. What makes them unique is their ability to respond to every conceivable question while maintaining a personal touch. They are based on ChatGPT's technology and use artificial intelligence to analyze questions as well as formulate answers. Fed with all the information about their cities and regions, they no longer know any language barriers.

In close cooperation, Zürich Tourism and Basel Tourism developed the idea for the introduction of the AI-Concierges. The AI-Concierge was realized by the Viennese company "goodguys gmbh". For their conversational services, the goodguys rely on their own language models in combination with intensive use of "generative AI" (OpenAI, Google), which enables comprehension-oriented processing of information in almost all languages for all conceivable situations.

The Central European Chapter of the ICCA is a network of organizations and companies active in the congress industry in Central Europe. The network aims to promote cooperation, exchange of experience and development of the industry. The chairmanship of the Central European Chapter offers Zürich Tourism the opportunity to further raise the city's profile as a business destination, the destination organization wrote in a statement Tuesday.

Vanessa Reis takes over from Karina Grützner, head of Stuttgart Convention Bureau. The post underscores Zurich's position as a leading business destination in the international congress and events sector, it adds. The Convention Bureau is constantly working to attract international conventions and business events to the destination. With Vanessa Reis as ICCA chairwoman, this strategic thrust is to be advanced.

The agency has been managing Zürich Tourism's digital media account since 2022, and has now successfully held its own for the Germany-wide B2B campaign. The challenge was to show that Zürich has much more to offer besides its reputation as a successful business city. Event planners should become curious about the many possibilities for an eventful social program.

Business in front, party in back

With the B2B campaign, Zurich shows a self-assured appearance. At the center is the claim "Business in the front. Party in the back." - which is also the name for the "mullet." The trendy haircut plays the leading role in the one-minute spot. With a wink, it represents the other, wild, unexpected side of Zurich. Filming took place at Zurich's Hotel Five, which with its eye-catching, cosmopolitan ambience provides the perfect backdrop for a metaphorical ride through lively Zurich. Zurich nightlife icon and drag queen Milky Diamond and Zurich master chef Nikol Morillo also make an appearance in it.

The campaign is mainly used on Linkedin. In addition to the one-minute spot, the target group is addressed with a series of moving image snippets that focus not only on the party aspect but also on other amenities iconic to Zurich, such as the bathing and aperitif culture, nature, and the art scene. In addition, single image ads and lead ads accompany the target group from first contact to lead generation to cover all touchpoints of the user journey. Furthermore, the campaign will be seen on OOH sites in Frankfurt as part of the IMEX trade fair for meeting & incentive travel in Germany, as well as in trade media.

Responsible at Zürich Tourism: Janine Rupf (Lead Content & Campaigns), Nathalie Lüthi (Head of Marketing), Guxim Shoshaj (Digital Marketing Manager), Anita Lutz (Manager Branding & Production), Vanessa Reis (Head of Convention Bureau). Sir Mary: Adrian Merz (Executive Creative Director), Katrin Espelage (Creative Director), Cosima Pereira Köster (Senior Art Director), Moritz Kuhn (Senior Copywriter), Jasmin Jost (Senior Account Manager), Maurice Ziegler (Account Manager), Anne Muhl (Strategy Director), Florence Scherer (Strategist), Katharina Günther (Head of Media Planning), Céline Zemp (Ad Technology & Programmatic Manager), Fabian Habisreutinger (Strategy Director Media & Data), Daniel Zuberbühler (Managing Partner). Production Shining: Stefan Girtanner (Senior Producer, Shining Film AG), Leonardo Sanfilippo (Executive Producer & Partner, Shining Film AG), Nathalie Maibach (Line Producer), Karl-Gustav Richter (Line Producer), Maximilian Speidel (Director Co-Director), Thomas Cervenca (Director Co-Director), Tugba Temel (Directors Assistant), Arnold Bucher (1st AD). AD), Jan Mettler (DOP), Ella Mettler (Photographer), Elias Gmünder (Photo Assistant), Elia Mannhart (Photo Assistant), Five Zürich Hotel (Location).