Switzerland Tourism launched a new travel trade guide, designed for the Kiwi and Aussie trade, at a showcase event in Auckland last Fri, as the tourism body notes encouraging signs from New Zealand.
Travellers are now treating Switzerland as a destination on its own.
Before, it was often combined with Italy and France says the director of Switzerland Tourism Australia & New Zealand and head of APAC Sandra Babey. “People now only stay in Switzerland, for periods of eight to 10 nights. It’s a travel pattern we’ve noticed over the last two years.”
Switzerland Tourism marketing manager for Australia and New Zealand Sonia Holt says New Zealand visitor numbers dropped in Mar 2026 by only 2% year-on-year.
“This is a very strong result for a long-haul market, given the challenges in the Middle East.”
She says other trends for Kiwis travelling to Switzerland include a significant increase in train travel and travel to the mountain regions, as well as interest in building pre- and post- cruise itineraries throughout Switzerland for river cruising with departure or arrival in Basel.
She says travellers wanting to see the most of Switzerland can travel on two to four panoramic trains throughout one trip.
The showcase included updates from 17 Swiss travel partners.
. . . Trade Guide
The new Switzerland Travel Trade Guide for the Australia and New Zealand travel trade features eight different itineraries through the Confederation.
“It explains everything—all the questions we’ve had over the last two years, all the answers are in this book,” says Babey.
Day excursion suggestions are featured, with tips of how to ‘seamlessly’ trek around Switzerland. Agents wanting copies of the guide can email trade.anz@switzerland.com.
Babey says the guide has already received ‘amazing’ feedback from agents.
Also included is a hotel-to-hotel luggage transfer, which was of particular note to agents in attendance. Travel Switzerland’s Rudy Wiratno says groups of 10 people and over can have their bags transferred for CHF500 per transfer, while groups of nine and under can have bags transferred for CHF100 plus CHF12 per bag per transfer. See HERE.
. . . Webinar
Agents are encouraged to look out for the upcoming webinar series Seamless Switzerland with Charlie Trevena which will be held in Q4 of 2026.
