The vacation destination of Leukerbad already works together with Leukerbad, Albinen, Inden and Varen on a cross-municipal basis. Leuk Tourism, on the other hand, is an independent association linked to the "Upper Valais Region". In order to focus more on the needs of guests and address them in a more holistic way, those responsible want to enter into further collaborations with the support of the Pfyn-Finges Nature Park.

At a strategic level, the representatives of the working group agree that today's more demanding and mobile guests "consume" a region as a whole during their stay. Accordingly, it is very important to sell tourism as a "complete package". The common denominator of the two destinations Leuk and Leukerbad is the Pfyn-Finges Regional Nature Park. The office of the nature park has also taken on the moderation of the cooperation project.

An important aim of the project is to improve the mutual visibility of the regional services on offer (on the websites, in the tourist offices, etc.). For the current year, both destinations are already working on developing concrete, short-term cooperation at an operational level. These range from an optimized harmonization of the online event calendars, to the increased use of visual advertising on the screens during the bus ride to and from Leukerbad, to personal guest receptions on arrival at Leuk train station. Increased cooperation and coordination at tourism trade fairs is also to be tackled as an example at an event in order to make the two destinations, the nature park and regional businesses recognizable as one region. Furthermore, approaches are currently being developed to offer cross-destination discounts for guests in the medium term.

"This pragmatic, step-by-step approach is intended to gain trust and generally demonstrate the benefits of increased cooperation. In addition, our marketing resources can be deployed more efficiently," Dominique Russi - municipal councillor and President of Leuk Tourism - is convinced. Urs Zurbriggen, CEO of My Leukerbad AG, adds: "The project fits in with our current strategic positioning of the destination Leukerbad, which focuses on the region's major strengths: Water, mountains, nature, culture and culinary delights, embedded in a unique and authentic landscape. All of this characterizes us. And all of this has contributed to our region proudly bearing the label Regional Nature Park of National Importance. This diversity of experiences must also be conveyed to our guests!" At best, the collaboration can contribute to a new dynamic and a spirit of optimism in tourism in the spirit of "Holidays in Switzerland" - a topic that has experienced an unprecedented upswing, not least during the coronavirus pandemic.