Federal government funds PR clip of vegetarian king Rolf Hiltl

The chagrin of some in the audience at the recent Swiss Retail Forum was great: speaker Rolf Hiltl showed a nearly six-minute video on the screen above the stage, showcasing his vegetarian empire in Zurich from the difficult initial stage from the very first restaurant, to the current success driven by the sustainability boom, to Hiltl’s relationship with its vegetable suppliers.

The restaurateur was able to present himself and his company for various media and well-known companies from the retail and other sectors. Among the participants were, for example, Globus boss Franco Savastano and representatives of Jelmoli, Lidl, Aldi, Nespresso, Globetrotter, SBB and the Zürcher Kantonalbank.

So far so good – if it were not insignificant detail that the video was produced by Switzerland Tourism. From the marketing organization, which is primarily funded by federal funds. In the current year, the federal government has budgeted 57 million, according to the website, the organization will receive another 37 million from members and partners from tourism and business, among others.

The collaboration was not hidden. The organization’s logo was shown at the end of the video. At the beginning, Hiltl also referred to the cooperation with “My Switzerland”, which also includes Switzerland Tourism.

A promotional film at state expense. Switzerland Tourism is mandated by federal law to stimulate demand for Switzerland as a travel and tourism country. Using taxpayers’ money for a commercial, which allows a successful restaurateur with seven restaurants and a lucrative building in Zurich to advertise himself, seems a strange interpretation of this order.

For example, the video contains statements such as: “Today, thanks in no small part to Hiltl’s history, Switzerland is a small paradise for people who enjoy a good meal without meat.” Or: «Come with us to the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world, right in the heart of Zurich».

How does the organization explain this PR video? And how much did you contribute financially to it? When asked, she writes that “the campaign video was completely designed, realized and paid for by Switzerland Tourism”. The organization does not disclose how much it costs.

The video was published about a month ago on the “Swisstainable Veggie Days”, a day of action on which Switzerland Tourism, together with partners such as Gastrosuisse and Hotelleriesuisse, tried to strengthen the desire for vegetarian food and thus sustainable gastronomy. Hiltl was one of the “strong partners”, and about 1,200 restaurants also took part.

Spokesman Liên Burkard says Switzerland Tourism always works with partners who help to convey a campaign message to guests in an attractive and effective way. Videos would also be recorded with restaurants, hotels, mountain railways or other tourism providers. “To market vegetarian Switzerland, it made sense to partner with the pioneer of vegetarian gastronomy, Rolf Hiltl,” said the spokeswoman.

And the reason for the day of action in general? Does the organization want to specifically advertise Switzerland for vegetarian cultures and, for example, attract more Indians to the country? The answer: «The campaign aims to present guests with a modern Switzerland with a very wide, diverse and traditional gastronomic offer. This includes (…) the option to eat vegetarian and vegan.”

It is therefore not surprising that an entrepreneur does not say no to a free video production. When asked, Rolf Hiltl personally did not comment on this. It still feels a little uncomfortable for him. The company’s press service refers to Switzerland Tourism in this regard and only writes that as the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world according to “Guinness World Records”, it was an honor for Hiltl to be one of the many partners supporting the day of action.

Rolf Hiltl supported the day of action with his name and promoted it through his channels. There is no denying that he got a good deal in the process. At the recent industry event, he left no doubt that he wanted to continue using the video for his own purposes. “The video is still too long, we still have to work on it,” he said on stage.

What about parliamentarians, who have to decide every four years on the level of funding for Switzerland Tourism? It even recently received an additional grant of CHF 30 million for 2022 and 2023 to promote the recovery of Swiss tourism after the Covid crisis.

A survey among various politicians shows a different picture. Some describe Hiltl’s presence in the video as “too prominent”. Others, however, find it less of a problem. For example, SP State Councilor Hans Stöckli: “Good advertising message and well done with modest means – no problem for me.” (cpf)