Switzerland Tourism and Vaud welcome trade media

Marian Benton from Travelbiz had the pleasure of being invited by Switzerland Tourism and Vaud Promotion to a media evening in the James Joyce Room in Bewleys Oriental Cafe (to give it its full name) to learn about the canton of Vaud. With the backdrop of the Grafton Street Christmas lights and two blazing fires illuminating this beautiful room we were warmly welcomed by Myriam Ziesack, Head of Media and Communications UK & Ireland, Switzerland Tourism and Fran Lambert, Media Relations Manager UK and Ireland, Switzerland Tourism.

Myriam reminded us that the James Joyce Bar in Zurich is now home to the original bar from the old Jurys Hotel in Dame Street! Myriam then introduced Alex Herrmann, Director UK & Ireland who told us that the initiatives on which they are now focussing are year-round business, particularly in the Autumn; longer stays and sustainable tourism. Alex told us that Irish visitors to Switzerland are up 15% to date since pre-Covid and that numbers of overnight stays from Ireland have almost doubled since 2000.

Alex then handed over to Clémentine Rouan Spokesperson at Vaud Promotions. This was Clémentine’s first visit to Dublin and she gave us a very comprehensive presentation on the canton of Vaud and its multitude of attractions. Situated in the southwest corner of Switzerland and bordered by Lake Geneva and France it is the capital of Swiss gastronomy and a wine-growing region. Lausanne, the capital of the region on the shores of Lake Geneva, is the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee and home to the Olympic Museum. Just 40 minutes further along the lake is Montreux, home to the famous Jazz Festival. It hosts an excellent Christmas Market and amongst its many tourist attractions are the picturesque – and Disneyesque – Chillon Castle (Switzerland’s most visited monument) and the Chaplin Museum. There is so much to see and do in Vaud with 13 appealing destinations such as the Alpes Vaudoises, La Côte, Avenches, Estavayer-Payerne, Moudon, the North of the Canton, La Vallée de Joux, etc that one could spend an entire holiday in this region alone.

After the presentations some hot and tasty food was served accompanied by delicious Swiss wines from La Côte and Lavaux brought in specially for the occasion. A big thank you to Myriam, Alex and Clémentine for taking the time to come to Dublin with updates and especially for the introduction to the canton of Vaud – it is now definitely on my ‘wish list’.