With celeb hot spots, winter hot tubbin, trains, glaciers and all the fresh air you could wish for Switzerland has it all. The Swiss cities of Bern, Zurich and Geneva feature in the annual Mercer list of the world’s most livable cities each year and Switzerland is fast becoming a favourite destination for incentive groups from the US. In the March/April edition of Prevue Greg Oates explores the wonders of Switzerland with commentary from some of the country’s finest destination experts including Ovation Switzerland’s Renato Grieco.
When asked ‘What’s some of the most popular feedback you hear from US groups when they’re standing on the top of Europe? Renato responded, “People always say everything is cleaner and greener than they expected. And the air is so fresh it almost hurts their lungs at the beginning.... Or someone will say “I don’t believe it, I took a train to the largest glacier in Europe! I had one man tell me that we have very happy cows (laughing). He said in Switzerland, even your cows’ look happy. Well all that clean air goes to our head sometimes!”
In a country with so many different ways for groups to enjoy the outdoors, it is difficult to pin point just one but Renato’s favourite teambuilding activity is spending a day on a Swiss farm. Groups of up to 25 people will milk goats, plant potatoes and/or cook with the family while learning about everything from cheese and chocolate to wood carving. The group then enjoys a traditional Swiss lunch at a huge farmers table on the mountainside next to deep valleys and verdant meadows.
Switzerland is a planners dream as they can seamlessly combine elegant cosmopolitan events with spirited outdoor activities as its cities are so well connected to the magisterial alpine drama.
"The beauty of Switzerland is that you can travel from palm trees to glaciers in an afternoon. We're proud of this because everything works so well and you can go everywhere by train and boat. Well sometimes you need a cable car too. On the same day you can brunch aboard a steamer yacht on Lake Geneva near Lausanne, followed by an igloo building lesson and sunset fondue high above Montreux around a mountain top yurt,” Renato Grieco, Director of Sales for Ovation Switzerland.
To read the full article ‘In a perfect world, life would feel a lot like Switzerland’ in the March/April edition of prevue please click here.
For further information on Switzerland please contact Renato Grieco at renato.grieco@ovationdmc.com