Switzerland Just Got Closer to Shanghai — And Your Groups Deserve to Know
China Eastern's new direct Shanghai–Zurich service is the boarding pass corporate travel planners have been waiting for.
Picture this: your top performers step off a flight in Zurich, Alps gleaming in the early morning light, espresso waiting, and not a single connection to have survived. That's now a reality, thanks to China Eastern's brand-new nonstop service between Shanghai and Zurich, which touched down for the first time on 18 June 2026.
Three flights a week. No layovers. No lost luggage in Frankfurt. Just pure, uninterrupted travel between two of the world's most quietly powerful cities.
Switzerland Just Got Closer to Shanghai and we can't wait to book.
Why Planners Should Care
Switzerland has long been the gold standard of incentive travel — and for good reason. It's aspirational without being alienating, dramatic without being difficult, and polished to a degree that makes even the most well-travelled group genuinely impressed. The problem? Getting there from mainland China has historically meant routing through hubs, burning hours, and testing the patience of even the most enthusiastic reward winners.
That problem is now solved. China Eastern's Zurich service means your APAC-based or globally distributed groups can flow into Switzerland without the operational headache. And with Swiss International Air Lines already serving the route, you've got genuine scheduling flexibility to build around.
What Awaits Your Group
Think beyond the chocolate-and-cheese clichés. A Switzerland incentive programme done well is genuinely transformative.
Your delegates could wake up in a Belle Époque hotel on the shores of Lake Lucerne, embark on a private sunset boat cruise, and still make it to a Michelin-starred dinner before most people have checked their emails. You could arrange a private glacier experience above Zermatt, a masterclass in Swiss watchmaking with a storied maison, or a bank-vault dinner in Zurich's old town that nobody will forget — or be allowed to describe in detail.
For Chinese corporate groups in particular, Switzerland carries real cultural prestige. The precision, the heritage, the discretion — it aligns beautifully with what high-achieving teams want to experience and what companies want to convey about their brand values.
The DMC Difference
Here's where it gets interesting. A flight gets your group to Zurich by 07:55. What happens at 08:00 is entirely up to who you've partnered with on the ground.
A specialist DMC doesn't just book hotel rooms and coaches. They know which mountain railway closes for private hire on a Tuesday evening. They have a relationship with the cheesemaker in Gruyères who'll open the cellar for a tasting that isn't on any website. And they understand the subtle difference between what impresses a Shanghai-based financial services team and what impresses a Shenzhen tech company — and they tailor accordingly.
Switzerland is already extraordinary. A great DMC makes it feel like it was designed specifically for your group.
Ready to Plan?
The Shanghai–Zurich route is open. The Alps are waiting. Contact our DMC partner in Switzerland today to start designing a programme that turns a flight time into the trip of a lifetime.
📩 Get in touch with our Switzerland DMC team
📧 Send us an
