01
Long arms
The long arms stand for giving someone a hand: guiding, pointing, helping along. That they are exaggerated is deliberate, and it makes him recognizable.
Mascot of Swiss Activities
Who is Alpi?
Alpi is a yellow mountain spirit and belongs to Swiss Activities, a Swiss booking platform for leisure experiences. He comes along, looks at the country, and then points out where it is worth going. For that he has the longest arms ever drawn for the purpose.
Ask Alpi- Name
- Alpi
- Species
- Mountain spirit, yellow
- Belongs to
- Swiss Activities, Erlenbach ZH
- Job
- Showing the best places in Switzerland
- Languages
- Every language swissactivities.com speaks. He understands Swiss German but does not write it.
- Usually found
- On swissactivities.com, in the app and in comments from Swiss Activities
Everything about Alpi is there for a reason.
02
Gnome hat
The hat comes from Swiss mountain folklore, from the Berggeister — the spirits said to live in the mountains. It anchors Alpi in the local culture and marks him as a knowledgeable, almost magical guide.
03
Fluffiness
Soft, rounded shapes and fur. This is meant to make him approachable, for families and for international guests alike.
04
Heart on the belly
A quiet sign of care and reliability. It stands for someone keeping an eye on the guest’s experience, also after the booking.
05
Yellow
An unusual color in travel. That is exactly why you recognize him again, on screen and in print.
06
No visible eyes
The hidden eyes make him more distinctive and more universal. The expression comes from posture and arms rather than from facial detail.
Questions Alpi has already been asked.
Who or what is Alpi?
Alpi is the mascot of Swiss Activities, a Swiss booking platform for leisure experiences. He is a yellow, shaggy mountain spirit with a gnome hat, very long arms and a heart on his belly. His job is to point in the right direction, usually at something you can do in Switzerland.
Can you talk to Alpi?
Yes, here at swissactivities.com/alpi and in the app. There he plans days with real times and prices, answers questions about your booking and, if you ask, tells you the story behind a place. He can get things wrong – the page says so too.
Does Alpi have eyes?
Presumably, but they are not visible. That is deliberate: Alpi expresses himself through posture and movement rather than facial features, which makes him more distinctive and equally understandable in every country.
Why is Alpi yellow?
Because yellow is rare in travel, so you spot him from ten meters away. The color is also taken to be friendly and approachable. No other one is under consideration.
Does Alpi speak Swiss German?
He understands it perfectly well, but he writes in standard German. In conversation he speaks every language the website speaks, and on social media he answers in the language of the post. There, by the way, he refers to himself in the third person. You get used to it faster than you would expect.
What kind of creature is Alpi?
A mountain spirit. The gnome hat comes from Swiss mountain folklore, where such creatures are held to be knowledgeable and helpful. Alpi matches that description, with the exception of the shyness.
Why does Alpi have such long arms?
Because they have to do two things: give someone a hand and point in the right direction. The exaggerated length is a design decision, not the result of training.
What does the heart on his belly mean?
It stands for reliability and for the fact that somebody is looking after the experience, also after the booking. The heart is the shortest way of saying that without writing a paragraph about it.
How big is Alpi, and where does he live?
Alpi is an illustration, so his size depends on how large you place him. At home he is in the mountains; professionally he belongs to Swiss Activities, based in Erlenbach ZH. He does not have a postal address on the mountain.
Who is behind Alpi?
So far nobody: Alpi is drawn. His comments are written at Swiss Activities, and in the app and here on the website he answers your questions himself. A plush toy and a life-size Alpi are on the way – with the second one, somebody will be inside after all.
Why is Alpi commenting on my post?
Because it contained something he found remarkable: a railway, a mountain, a lake, a tractor. He comments in order to put something on record, not to sell anything. If nothing comes to mind, he writes nothing.
Can Alpi be booked, hired or bought as a plush toy?
Booking and hiring are not possible yet. A plush toy is on the way, though, and there will be a life-size Alpi as well. His channels will say when. What you can book is everything he points at — on swissactivities.com.
How did Alpi get his name?
The reference to the Alps is hard to miss, and the name is short enough for international guests to pronounce at first attempt. There is no official naming story, so we are not inventing one here. He is simply called Alpi.