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Rail Europe and Swiss Travel System Bring Personal Recommendations Back to Travel With Swiss Bliss
08 Sept 2026
The second edition of the Swiss Bliss campaign replaces algorithm-led itineraries with four creator-led rail journeys built around handwritten recommendations, slower travel and lesser-known parts of Switzerland.
Rail Europe and Swiss Travel System have launched the second edition of Swiss Bliss, a creator-led campaign designed to encourage travellers to discover Switzerland more slowly and more personally by rail. Rather than relying on generic “must-see” lists or algorithm-shaped itineraries, the campaign centres on routes recommended by people who know the country well.
The initiative builds on the first Swiss Bliss campaign, which won Best National Campaign at the 2025 Rail Tourism Awards. This year’s edition uses hand-illustrated postcards to turn personal travel recommendations into four curated journeys across Switzerland and into northern Italy.
Postcards Instead of Prompts
The campaign starts with a simple question: when planning a trip, whose recommendation do you trust?
Rail Europe CEO Björn Bender, CTO Ilgün Ilgün, Swiss Travel System expert Thomas Hoffmann, and railway writers Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries were each asked to recommend a journey to a friend. Their choices focus less on famous landmarks and more on places they genuinely know, value and would revisit themselves.
The participating travel creators did not receive a conventional digital itinerary. Instead, each route arrived as a hand-illustrated postcard with a handwritten recommendation from the person behind the journey. That postcard format became the creative thread running through the wider campaign, from social media and creator content to advertising, landing pages and the hero film.
Four Different Versions of Switzerland
The campaign presents four different interpretations of Swiss travel.
Björn’s Swiss Reset begins in Bern before continuing through the Lake Geneva region and the Lötschental Valley. US travel creator Shelby Dubin followed the route, which was designed as a chance to slow down and step away from the pace of everyday life.
Thomas’ Ticino Escape explores Switzerland’s Mediterranean side, including palm-lined lakes, Italian cultural influences and the region’s distinctive character. British travel creator and former BBC journalist Rosie Doal experienced the journey.
Ilgün’s Culinary Switzerland connects vineyards, artisan producers and regional food traditions. France-based US creator Julie Neis documented the experience through short-form video and a longer YouTube film.
The fourth itinerary, Nicky & Susanne’s Journey Across Cultures, was developed by the authors of Europe by Rail. It follows changes in language, landscape and culture across Switzerland before continuing into northern Italy.
Rail Becomes Part of the Destination
All four routes encourage travellers to move beyond Switzerland’s best-known destinations and to consider travelling outside the traditional peak season. The campaign also places rail at the centre of the experience rather than treating it simply as transport between attractions.
Changing landscapes, languages and regional identities become part of the journey itself. That idea fits a wider shift in urban and regional tourism, where transport infrastructure increasingly shapes how visitors experience places rather than merely how they reach them.
For cities and regions, rail-led tourism can also help spread visitor demand more widely. Encouraging travellers to explore secondary destinations and travel outside peak periods can reduce pressure on heavily visited locations while directing spending towards smaller communities.
Switzerland’s rail network also plays a major role in how its cities function. In Zurich, for example, trains, trams and other public transport systems form one of Europe’s most integrated urban mobility networks, making rail part of both everyday life and the visitor experience.
A More Human Response to Algorithmic Travel Planning
Swiss Bliss also arrives at a moment when travel planning is increasingly influenced by search engines, social platforms and artificial intelligence.
The campaign deliberately moves in the opposite direction. Its postcard concept is built around the idea that meaningful travel often begins with a recommendation from another person — a route, town or experience someone remembers strongly enough to pass on.
After completing their journeys, the creators sent postcards of their own in reply, completing the exchange and reinforcing the campaign’s focus on travel as something shared between people rather than generated entirely through digital systems.
From Creator Campaign to Wider Travel Platform
Rail Europe and Swiss Travel System developed Swiss Bliss as a broader brand and communications campaign rather than a standalone influencer activation.
The initiative includes a hero and manifesto film, four itinerary landing pages, 15 short-form creator videos, creator collaborations, a long-form YouTube film, original b-roll, paid and organic social content, LinkedIn material and campaign banners.
The content also introduces travellers to different rail products available across Switzerland, including the Swiss Travel Pass, regional passes, point-to-point tickets and mountain excursions. The aim is to connect travel inspiration with practical guidance on how visitors can actually make the journeys.
Slower Travel and the Future of Destination Marketing
The campaign reflects a broader change in how destinations market themselves. For years, digital tourism platforms have focused heavily on efficiency: faster searches, optimised itineraries and lists of the most popular attractions. Swiss Bliss suggests another model, one that values personal knowledge, slower movement and the journey between destinations.
That philosophy also fits Switzerland’s wider reputation for highly connected and well-planned urban environments. Cities including Zurich, Geneva, Bern, Basel and Lausanne form part of a broader Swiss smart-city and innovation ecosystem where transport, infrastructure and quality of life are closely connected.
For destinations trying to manage visitor pressure, rail-led travel can help distribute tourism beyond the most crowded centres. Smaller towns and regions gain greater visibility, while travellers experience more of the country between major urban destinations.
About Rail Europe
Rail Europe is a global platform for European train booking and has worked with the travel industry and rail operators for 90 years. The company provides technology and customer-service solutions to more than 25,000 partners in over 70 countries and works with around 250 rail providers. It sells approximately 5 million European train tickets each year and is headquartered in Paris.
About Swiss Bliss
Swiss Bliss is a joint campaign from Rail Europe and Swiss Travel System focused on encouraging more personal, slower and rail-led travel across Switzerland. Its 2026 edition uses creator journeys and handwritten recommendations to highlight destinations beyond the country’s most familiar tourism routes.
