Dec 18, 2025
160 Years of Bucher Travel Inc. – A Journey Through Our History
At the close of the anniversary year, Bucher Travel Inc. looks back on its history and on the people who shaped it. In a personal conversation, CEO Mario Würsch met with Urs Rast, former owner and long-serving managing director. Two generations exchange views on origins, change, and the development of a company that has helped shape Swiss tourism for decades.
Urs Rast’s path to Bucher—then still called Bucher & Co.—was not a classic career choice. After completing his banking apprenticeship, he followed his father’s wish and joined the family business at a young age. “I had no choice, but in hindsight it was the beginning of an entire lifetime with Bucher,” says Rast. He spent his early years in operational work: putting together programs, processing orders, handling administration—everything done manually, without digital tools. Only later did he have direct contact with guests at the counter.
The working day back then was very different from today. Six-day weeks were standard, Saturday work until midday was the rule, and Sunday sales were no exception. In addition to Lucerne, Bucher operated offices in Montreux, Interlaken, Basel, and at times Zurich. In Interlaken and Montreux, several employees worked on site, in some cases with stationed buses. “Everything was done by hand. We put together programs, schedules, and documents until after midnight,” Rast recalls.
From Europe to Overseas
The first guests came mainly from England and spent several weeks in Lucerne; later, American soldiers from Germany followed, taking advantage of extended weekends. The offering ranged from city tours to excursions to Mount Pilatus and Jungfraujoch, as well as multi-day tours through several countries. Trips operated regardless of group size—service and reliability were the top priorities.
A decisive turning point came in the 1970s with incentive trips from the United States. They marked the company’s commercial upswing. Between May and September, Bucher served more than 5,000 guests annually. New groups arrived daily and continued onward. “The incentive years were our peak. New guests every day, thousands per season,” says Rast. During this phase, Bucher employed 35 to 40 staff members.
Success, however, was always accompanied by challenges. Geopolitical crises, economic downturns, and especially the attacks of September 11, 2001 hit the travel industry hard. Shortly after an acquisition, key markets collapsed and entire seasons passed with almost no revenue. This period demanded a strong sense of responsibility toward employees and partners—a core principle that has shaped Bucher across generations.
What makes Urs Rast particularly proud in retrospect are not figures or expansions, but people. “My greatest pride: 45 years without an accident, without illness. And every evening all drivers returned safely.” Many employees remained loyal to the company for a lifetime. “Our people stayed for life. That was our culture.” Consistency, quality, and loyalty were always the foundation of success.
Gratitude for Values Such as Quality and Humanity
Today, at the age of 90, Urs Rast looks back on the company with gratitude. “I’m simply glad today that the company still exists. I could never have closed it. It’s a part of my life.” Asked for advice for the future, he remains deliberately reserved: times have changed, but quality, humanity, and reliability are timeless.
The conversation between Mario Würsch and Urs Rast shows how much Bucher Travel Inc. has changed over 160 years—and how consistently the company has preserved its core. Modern technologies, international markets, and new guest needs shape today’s daily operations. The values on which Bucher was built, however, remain unchanged. Or, as Urs Rast puts it: “The future belongs to those who uphold quality and humanity—that has always made Bucher strong.”