CEO Björn Caviezel leaves Heidiland Tourism after nine years
Björn Caviezel is leaving Heidiland Tourism at the end of the year. After nine years in the service of the tourism organization, the time has come for the director to take the next step in his career.
The 41-year-old's time at the helm of Heidiland Tourism comes to an end on December 31, 2017. Heidiland Tourism began operations under Caviezel's leadership in 2009 and today markets the region from Lake Walen to the gates of Chur under the "Heidiland" brand from a single source, operates three tourist offices (Unterterzen, Flumserberg, Bad Ragaz), an Infopoint (Maienfeld) and a souvenir store in the "Marché Heidiland" highway service station.
"The unusually long period in office by industry standards alone shows how exciting and satisfying my work has always been," says Caviezel. The timing for a change is also ideal from the company's point of view, as he is leaving behind a healthy and modern tourism organization that is equipped for the challenges of the future. It remains to be seen where he will go and who will succeed him.
Under Caviezel's leadership, Heidiland Tourism quickly developed into a modern tourism organization after its launch in 2009, which is now well positioned and well established in a national comparison. Despite a difficult market environment and declining visitor tax income, the organization has been able to continue to develop thanks to strict cost management and is now in a very healthy financial position, according to a press release.
Currently, the organization's main tasks include online sales (including its own sales solution for hotels and vacation apartments), supporting tourism partners (including in the digital sector) and marketing the region's tourism offering as part of six strategic business fields (SGF), in which it works closely with tourism partners. This is also where Caviezel sees the greatest success in recent years: "We are proud that we have managed to keep all partners on board over the years, which is not a matter of course in our heterogeneous, cross-cantonal destination area."
Over the past nine years, Heidiland Tourism has repeatedly attracted attention on the national and international market. Milestones include the appearance as a guest region at the largest Swiss public vacation fair Fespo in Zurich in 2011, the Tour de Suisse final in Bad Ragaz and on the Flumserberg in 2013, the development of strategic marketing partnerships with strong third-party brands such as VfL Wolfsburg, the Cologne Sharks and CEWE, as well as the long-standing ambassador collaboration with pop star Stefan Roos, which has resulted in two "Heidiland" songs, among others. In addition, the guest information area has also been continuously developed, most recently with the renovation of the guest information points. "One highlight was the integration of Bündner Herrschaft in 2011 and the fact that we have been able to attract tens of millions in additional tourism funding to the region in recent years, from which our partners have benefited," concludes Björn Caviezel.
