Best number of visitors at the museum in ten years

Visitor numbers in 2019 were the highest they have ever been since the Swiss Museum of Transport's 50th anniversary in 2009. Admissions to the museum were a gratifying 562,605 (+13%), thus exceeding the budgeted target of 545,000 visitors by almost 4 percent. "We have again managed to welcome over half a million visitors to the museum and sold almost 1 million tickets all over," says Martin Bütikofer, Director of the Swiss Museum of Transport, emphasising the excellent result. This was boosted by the varied and interactive range of attractions, as well as by the featured exhibition "Switzerland in the air!", where the Rega ambulance jet was one of the prime exhibits. Also helping to attract visitors were the "Destination Moon" section in the exhibition, as well as the shows presented by the Filmtheatre and the Planetarium.
The high number of visitors was reflected in the financial figures. The annual accounts closed with net earnings of CHF 19,347,578 and a net profit of CHF 420,470 (+28%). Contributing to the excellent results were responsible spending policies and footfall-dependent deployment of staff. The number of memberships at the end of the year under review was a gratifying 39,648.

All attractions record increases
All the other attractions at the Swiss Museum of Transport recorded increases in admissions compared to the previous year. The Planetarium recorded the largest increase in visitors with a rise of 17% (89,185), followed by the Swiss Chocolate Adventure with 95,038 admissions (+14%). The Filmtheatre also experienced an increase (+6%) in visitor numbers (134,286). Admissions to the Media World, which is operated in partnership with Red Bull Media House, rose to 112,661 (+4%).
The Swiss Chocolate Adventure was increasingly visited by groups of foreign tourists, which had a positive effect on sales of the Lindt assortment in the Museum of Transport shop. The planetarium put on a varied and compelling programme to mark the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing.

Schools, guided tours and events
The number of visits by schools rose to 2716 (+6%): this corresponds to 47,322 school students – a result that consolidates the museum's position as a premier extracurricular learning venue.
In the year under review, the number of guided tours increased by 8% to 557 relative to the previous year. Associations, companies and school classes liked the offered guided tours very much. The autumn saw "Night Shift" tours, which take place outside museum opening hours, replace the "Torchlight Tour". This offering is becoming increasingly popular.

The Swiss Museum of Transport has further established itself as an event venue, with 980 events (+7%) taking place during the year under review. Three of them could be categorised as major events. Companies, clubs, associations and private individuals are increasingly availing themselves of the chance to hold an event in a modern conference centre or museum hall or in the Arena, Filmtheatre and Planetarium, with catering by ZFV Unternehmungen.