Switzerland Tourism ropes in famous sportspersons to increase winter footfall

KOLKATA: In a bid to make travellers more aware of Switzerland as a winter destination, Switzerland Tourism has roped in cricket icons like Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga to play ice cricket on St Moritz Lake as a part of its promotion drive.

"The maximum number of Indians visits Switzerland during May and June — the peak tourist season. In the month of December, the number of tourists is low. We are eyeing tourists from India throughout the year," said Ritu Sharma, Deputy Director Switzerland Tourism, India.

The number of tourists visiting Switzerland in the May — June season is about 1 lakh while in winters it is only 5,000. Switzerland Tourism India on Thursday conducted a road-show in the city stating their plans to attract more tourists during winters. They have already held similar roadshows in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi.

"We have the 'Swiss Travel Pass' (STP) — an all-in-one ticket valid on all modes of public transportation. We are running a special offer now (Valid till December 31) — on buying an eight-day STP, one gets two days extra, while the four day pass offers one day extra," Director of Switzerland Tourism, India, Claudio Zemp said.

A new programme 'Stopover Switzerland' in collaboration with Swiss International Airlines will allow travellers to stop in Switzerland for four days on their way to their destination.

According to Zemp, Switzerland has been witnessing a lot of tourists from West Bengal and the Southern part of India. "These markets are growing. Last year, the footfall of Indian tourists was over 7 lakh overnights," he maintained.