Canton is a pearl of a destination

It is only two months now that Nicolas Ludin took over as director of the Zug Tourist Board from Seraina Koller, who had held this post for three years.

Having settled into his highly central office (on platform three at the station), a journalist of the Zuger Zeitung went along to meet the relaxed 35-year-old, who comes from the city of Lucerne. Prior to his moving here, he explained how he had worked in various positions in the marketing and communication industry including most recently as head of sales and marketing at the Montana art-deco hotel in Lucerne. It is in these types of jobs that networking plays a large role and at present Ludin is attending lots of meetings in the Zug area and beyond.

“In order to sell Zug and the region, what you need is good partners,” he explained, adding how he enjoyed meeting people in the hotel industry, in business and politics, in associations and locals themselves. Indeed, Ludin mentioned how he had been most warmly welcomed by his team of eight, who do the equivalent of six-and-a-half full-time jobs. “It is great fun working with them,” he said.

When he saw the job advertised, he decided to apply without a moment’s hesitation, not regretting the move from hotel management to the tourist industry at all. He mentioned how, as sales manager of the Montana hotel, he would go off on trips with representatives of the Lucerne Tourist Board, so he already had an idea of the sort of job they did.

And what does his current role involve?
“We have three key areas,” he said, “Information, marketing and event management. For example, a firm might come to us with an idea for an event and we will organise everything from hotel accommodation and transport to trips up the Zugerberg, for example, and even drinks of kirsch to round it all off,” he said, adding how important it was that all products marketed by the board were from the region itself. The new director also mentioned that it was in this area of event organisation that the tourist board wanted to get more involved.

Another aim they had was to encourage more people from other parts of Switzerland to come on day trips or spend their holidays in the canton. “Why should families with children head off abroad when we have so much to offer here?” he asked.

Then, he wanted to target the expat community here, too. “So many people from all over the world live in Zug,” he said. “And we would like to have the opportunity of showing them more of what the region has to offer.”

Ludin recognised that Zug was not was widely known as a tourist centre like Zurich or Lucerne, “yet it is a pearl of a destination,” he insisted. “The important thing is being innovative,” he went on, even though the canton had cut the board’s budget by 20 per cent.

As is widely evident, Switzerland, and increasingly, Zug, too, is very popular with visitors from Asia. What is Ludin’s view on such group tours?
“Well, the statistics speak for themselves,” he said, citing how the number of Chinese visitors to Switzerland alone is expected to more than double by 2025. “It is well known that, as one layer of population comes to enjoy greater wealth, they want to spend it on travel,” said Ludin, who is a not only graduate of the renowned Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality in Lucerne, but also of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, where he studied business economics.

However, we are not pushing for the mass tourism sector,” he added. “Our remit is clear, namely to promote a more restrained style of tourism. Not that this Asian market is not without further potential,” he indicated. Asia is in fact an area Ludin knows very well, having worked in a hotel in Vietnam for a year and having travelled extensively in the region.

In conclusion, Ludin mentioned one major event to take place next year where the canton could really show itself at its best, referring to the National Swiss-Wrestling and Alpine Festival. “This will be a challenge, but one I am greatly looking forward to,” he said, adding how impressed he had been by the organisation so far.

And what does the new director enjoy doing most in his new work location?
“There is nothing I like more than cycling round the lake, playing football with my friends, or cooking,” he concluded.