Where most of the Embassies and Consulates in India are planning their strategy to attract tourists is on their drawing board, the Swiss consulate in Mumbai has taken a lead. The Consul General (CG) of Switzerland His Excellency Othmar Hardegger along with Misha Gambetta, the Director – India, Switzerland Tourism has chalked out a master plan to lead the game. CG organized a tourism networking dinner reception and invited tour operators, tourism officers from Interlaken and Zurich, Rail Europe officials, media personnel, and other dignitaries. The event was held on Thursday, March 24, 2022, at the Swiss Residence in Mumbai. This was a major event by any consulate held in Mumbai soon after the government’s announcement of removing restrictions.
Various points were discussed at the networking dinner and a new strategy was planned out to be implemented. Dorothea Karl, Head of Market & Convention Bureau from Zurich Tourism and Kevin Dissauer, Manager Marketing from Interlaken, Srijit Nair General Manager Of Rail Europe – Africa, Greater India, Middle East, and Russia were also present. Besides, the entire team from Swiss tourism was also present.
It’s worth mentioning here that Switzerland is one of the favourite destinations for Indian tourists. For the last several decades, newly wedded Indian couples choose Switzerland as their honeymoon destination. Till now, this tradition is followed from one generation to another to visit Switzerland. In Bollywood movies too, Switzerland has a special place in Indian filmmakers. Various popular places of Switzerland are featured in hit Bollywood movies.
His Excellency Othmar Hardegger, Consul General (CG) of Switzerland speaking to an august gathering at the coveted event said “it’s almost after two years we are having such assembly post-pandemic. I am happy today to see a gathering of travel agents, media, and of course Switzerland tourism head Micha Gambetaa along with his team. Swiss tourism has worked with us to bring Indian tourists to Switzerland. We are looking forward to support from all of you to bring tourists once again to their favorite tourist destinations in Switzerland”.
Misha Gambetta, the Director – India, Switzerland Tourism said “Thanks CG Othmar for hosting a special event by inviting us and tourist operators and others. Prior to the event, we had several discussions with CG about this networking gathering. After returning to normalcy it was important to do this event and CG has done it on a priority basis. Swiss tourism is waiting to develop one on one relationships with tourism industry people which we couldn’t do so in the past two years due to pandemics.
Gambetta further added “Switzerland is a most beautiful and much sought after tourist destination in the world. Last year we allowed fully vaccinated tourists in Switzerland. As things are normalized now, Switzerland is open for the new inning. It has many unique things to offer like outdoor activities, lakes, small cities, adventure tourism, sustainable projects, and much more. Now airlines are also commencing their regular scheduled flights. We are ready and well prepared to welcome tourists from India and all over the world.
One of the leading tour operators on the condition of anonymity said “This is a grand idea by Swiss CG, to begin with, networking. It’s a time to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic; businesses around the world had to react in agile and decisive ways. As we move into the next phase, now is the time for businesses and tourism to seek out and seize the opportunities emerging in the recovery. This involves conducting an “after-action review” to collect data and insights on lessons learned from the pandemic, and then using these to prioritize actions to enhance business value today and build strategic resilience for tomorrow”.
The CG had arranged a lavish cocktail dinner where numerous swiss dishes were served and live cooking including the live station of Raclette. Every guest who attended the event relished Raclette. It may be noted that Raclette is a Swiss and Savoyard dish. Based on heating cheese and scraping off the melted part, and then typically served with boiled potatoes. Raclette cheese is a Swiss-type cheese marketed specifically to be used for this dish, a notable product being the (AOP) Raclette du Valais.
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
