The Idea

The beginning: a quest for authentic cultural tourism

We warmly welcome you! We are Steph and Eglé Cruchon, passionate advocates of heritage tourism and founders of the Swiss startup Genius Loci. Our ambition? To offer an innovative approach to cultural tourism, where every stone, every alleyway, tells a story. The original idea behind Genius Loci was simple yet revolutionary: to transform every site into an immersive experience for the visitor.

Fribourg: the city that inspired us

In 2014 we were living in Fribourg, Switzerland — a new city for us. As we explored the old town, we were moved by the richness of its heritage, often overlooked. Every alleyway, every fountain had its own story to tell. It was an invitation to reconnect communities with their heritage, to rediscover hidden treasures on every street corner. Fribourg became for us much more than a city: it embodied the untapped potential of heritage tourism.

QR codes: modernity in the service of heritage conservation

As digital professionals, we seized the opportunity offered by QR codes to build a bridge between past and present. A way to preserve heritage while adapting it to our times. With Genius Loci, every QR code is an open door to a story, a legend, a part of our shared identity. But beyond the technology, it was above all a way for us to offer an enriching experience, where the digital magnifies reality rather than replacing it.

The future: towards conscious, respectful slow tourism

Our vision for Genius Loci goes far beyond simple QR codes. We aspire to promote slow tourism, where every visitor takes the time to immerse themselves, to understand and respect the place they discover. It is by slowing down that we truly appreciate the beauty and richness of our heritage. We firmly believe that tomorrow’s tourism will be more respectful, more aware of the impact it can have on the places visited. And it is in this spirit that we wish to position Genius Loci: as pioneers of a tourism that values and preserves our shared history.