Jürg Schmid, Director of Switzerland Tourism and newly elected President of Grisons Holidays, sees great potential for health tourism in Switzerland, as the Alpine region offers a unique combination of nature, peace and medical expertise. Schmid will be a speaker at the 3rd “Health & Tourism” conference on September 21 in Pontresina.
Jürg Schmid (55) will give up his post as Director of Switzerland Tourism at the end of the year. He sets himself up and becomes President of Grisons Vacations. In the run-up to the 3rd “Health & Tourism” conference, he talks about the market potential and opportunities for Switzerland and the Alpine region in health tourism.
For several years now, health tourism has been described as having great potential for the Alpine region. Do you agree with that?
Absolutely! Health tourism in Switzerland has great potential, particularly as it combines two of Switzerland's strengths and competencies. The volume of health tourism is estimated at 450,000 to 500,000 guests/patients per year. This does not include wellness guests who do not require medical treatment.
Which markets should guests/patients come to Switzerland from?
Based on personal discussions with large, internationally active clinics, the market potential is great. Some clinics focus on local markets, patients with international insurance policies. Others are targeting lucrative self-payers from markets such as Russia or the Gulf States.
Switzerland has established itself as a niche provider in a wide range of industries. Is a niche strategy also appropriate in health tourism?
By definition, Switzerland can never pursue a volume or broad-based strategy. Switzerland stands for quality, reliability and safety. These are values that apply to cutting-edge medicine in particular. Switzerland must occupy and cultivate lucrative niches in these fields.
Tourism in the Alpine region is not doing well — cities, on the other hand, are flourishing. Will this also be the case in health tourism?
The highly specialized medical centers are mainly located in urban parts of Switzerland. However, there are certainly applications that stimulate tourism in rural and alpine Switzerland. The wide range of preventive and preventive treatments in particular is ideal for the Alpine region with its range of recreation and leisure activities.
Compared to the rest of the world, Swiss tourism's problems include the strong franc and high costs. Do we even have a chance against foreign countries in health tourism?
You are prepared to spend money on your own health and want to ensure the best quality. Price sensitivity is lower than in certain everyday goods. To think that health tourism is not competitive in terms of price would be fatal, even naive. As in all industries, Switzerland must position itself in the premium segment through top performance and quality.
What is Switzerland Tourism doing for health tourism in our country?
Health and tourism have always gone hand in hand. In the pioneering years, it was the high-altitude clinics and spas that brought guests to Switzerland, but today, a good wellness infrastructure is simply part of the premium accommodation offering. The boundaries between hotels and clinics are disappearing.
Around 15-20 hotels currently have their own departments with health services or medical treatments, and the trend is growing rapidly. Private clinics have their own sales teams, which acquire patients internationally. Nationally, there is the SwissHealth organization, which carries out basic marketing in Russia and the Gulf States. Switzerland Tourism is currently examining how we can promote medical tourism more comprehensively.
Switzerland Tourism markets Switzerland as a holiday destination worldwide. Budgets are tight — activity must be reduced in some markets. Does ST even have the capacity to do anything for health tourism?
The resources are finite. We must set priorities. We invest where we can sustainably promote tourism, open up new markets and segments with good prospects of success, and where the return is convincing. Health tourism meets many of these criteria. However, such investments always require a high level of willingness on the part of those affected to cooperate. We'll check that out.
From 2018, you will be President of Graubünden Vacations. What does Graubünden have to do to bring patients to hotels and clinics in the mountain canton?
I am careful not to make blanket recommendations in advance. But one thing seems clear: The starting position for Graubünden is right. The combination of nature, peace and medical expertise is convincing. However, like all regions, Grisons must bundle its offerings and get involved in higher-level cooperation networks.
Jürg Schmid
Jürg Schmid (born 1962, business economist HWV) has been Director of Switzerland Tourism since the end of 1999 and markets Switzerland as a holiday, travel and conference destination. 228 employees in 27 different countries promote Switzerland nationally and internationally. Schmid previously worked for software company Oracle, computer company Hewlett-Packard and Bank Vontobel. Jürg Schmid is married and father of 3 children.
3rd “Health & Tourism” Conference | September 21, 2017 in Pontresina
Register now — until July 15 at a special price!
The 3rd conference once again offers an attractive mix of topics and speakers from Germany and abroad as well as plenty of space and time for personal networking.
Register by July 15 and benefit from the early bird rate of just CHF 150 for the all-day conference including lunch, two breaks and an aperitif.
Information and registration: www.udir.ch