Heidiland

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Heidiland is a tourist word mark . It has been a feature of a motorway service station near Maienfeld since 1989 and a holiday region between western Walensee and Bad Ragaz in eastern Switzerland since 1997 . In contrast to other holiday regions in Switzerland, the term does not go back to a historical or traditional name, but rather assumes what the guest is likely to expect. This branding is very controversial in the professional world. There are no other destinations that work without a geographical connection.

Surname

The brand name Heidiland originally goes back to St. Moritz's Marketing Director , Hans Peter Danuser , who had this term entered in the trademark register at the Federal Office of Intellectual Property in 1979 . He wanted to tie in with a Heidi television series shot in 1977 in the town and thus revive the summer business. The marketing term did not catch on, possibly because the rather staid image of the Heidist fabric contrasted too strongly with the sophisticated claims of St. Moritz. In 1985 the term disappeared from advertising for the time being. Since then, St. Moritz has been marketing the brand and has been licensing it to Mövenpick , the operator of the motorway service station, since 1989 , and to the holiday region since 1997.

The advertisers focus less on the literary figure Heidi and more on the myth of Heidi , which is much more open and blurred and allows numerous other offers to be integrated into the Heidiland concept. For example, the girl Heidi does not appear as a figure in either the logo or marketing tools of Heidiland. It should also evoke the attributes of cordiality, pleasure, community, impartiality, freshness and freedom. The managing director of Heidiland Tourism himself speaks of a bait that would be necessary to market the entire area. This region is marketed in Switzerland and abroad under the name Heidiland . The special role that Heidi plays in Japan means that the marketing is aimed particularly at the Japanese. The association would like to advertise all imaginable activities under one name, such as sleeping in the straw in Amden or in a grand hotel in Bad Ragaz (e.g. Grand Resort Bad Ragaz ); a visit to Sargans Castle or a boat trip on Lake Walen and mountain hikes.

marketing

The licensee and marketer of the Heidiland holiday region was originally the Sarganserland-Walensee Tourist Association, which was replaced on January 1, 2009 by the “Heidiland Tourismus AG” public limited company based in Bad Ragaz . On the one hand, shareholders are the tourism associations of the municipalities involved, which have been divided into three tourism districts: Pizol (Bad Ragaz, Pfäfers , Sargans , Mels , Vilters-Wangs , Wartau ), Flumserberg ( Flums , Flumserberg) and Walensee ( Walenstadt , Quarten , Filzbach , Obstalden GL , Mühlehorn , Mollis , Amden , Weesen ) but also large individual providers: Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, Bergbahnen Flumserberg and Resort Walensee among the shareholders. It is financed by 90% of the area's tourist tax income , membership fees and the marketing of individual offers and merchandising items.

The St. Gallen statistics mean that Heidiland is the strongest tourist brand in the canton; In addition to the Rhine area, the Sarganserland showed by far the highest growth rates in foreign tourism between 1997 and 2007.

criticism

After the name had originally met with strong resistance in the region, surveys commissioned by the tourism association showed an acceptance of at least parts of the population a few years ago. Extensive sociological explorations in the region at the turn of the millennium, however, resulted in a high level of uncertainty among the population and often the feeling that the brand was being applied. However, overnight stays in the region rose by around ten percent in the years after the creation of Heidiland. However, whether and to what extent this increase follows the new name has not been proven, respectively. controversial. The conversion and renovation phase of the Grand Hotels Bad Ragaz was completed at the same time, which has led to a massive increase in overnight stays.

After a change of name from the Heidiland holiday region to Heidiland in early 2011 without consulting the authorities and partners , the brand and the associated communication are increasingly meeting with criticism. Parliamentarians of the canton of St. Gallen reject the procedure and demand a return to the familiar name and a separation between the political term Sarganserland and the tourist brand Heidiland .

Web links

Commons : Raststätte Heidiland  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

  • Ueli Gyr : Extended warranty certificate. What you can do with Heidi in terms of tourism. in: Christoph Köck, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Volkskunde (ed.): Travel pictures: Production and reproduction of tourist perception Waxmann Verlag, 2001 ISBN 3830910479 pp. 123-133
  • Ueli Gyr: Heidi everywhere. Heidi figure and Heidi myth as identity patterns. In: Péter Niedermüller, Bjarne Stoklund: Europe. Cultural Construction and Reality. Museum Tusculanum Press, 2001, ISBN 8772896868 , pp. 75-96.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Gyr: Heidi everywhere p. 79
  2. ↑ a b Gyr: Heidi everywhere p. 81
  3. ↑ Travel news online: Heidiland holiday region becomes a public limited company
  4. ↑ Tourism in: Department for Statistics Canton St. Gallen The Canton St. Gallen and its people in figures - 2008 edition August 2008 as pdf .
  5. ^ Gyr: Heidi everywhere p. 82