RailAway AG, the sales and marketing arm of Swiss state railways Schweizerische BundesBahnen (SBB), announced plans to step on the Bulgarian market, Stephan Weingart, client manager at the company, told Dnevnik daily.

Currently, the company specialising in promoting transport opportunities in Switzerland, the sale of various transport cards for tourists and attracting tourists to the country, is on the lookout for a Bulgarian partner.

The move is part of the company’s plans to expand on new markets. The growing interest of Bulgarian tourists in Switzerland and the direct Sofia-Zurich flight recently launched by Swiss International Air make Bulgaria a natural target of expansion.

SBB owns 70 per cent in RailAway, with the rest distributed among the smaller transport companies in the country. It distributes its products through tour operators, tourist agencies and transportation companies, as well as via internet.

All of its products are united under a single trademark, Swiss Travel System. For example, one can travel anywhere in the country with a single ticket or use discounts at various tourist sites with a card. The most popular card is Golden Swiss Pass, which gives access to the entire public transportation system, entry to 400 museums free of charge, as well as ticket discounts.

According to company data, Bulgarian tourists bought RailAway products worth 50 000 Swiss francs last year.

In the past few years Switzerland has been investing in developing linkages between the transportation system and the tourist industry with the ultimate goal of improving tourist products. As a result, the country has developed various opportunities for travel, catering mainly to foreign tourists.

Last year, the company generated 60 million Swiss francs in revenues and only a sixth were generated at home.