CHF100m (US$98.6m, €93.4m, £81m) will be invested into the Swiss town of St Gallen to create a new Heidi visitor attraction, with the theme park based on the famous 1881 story by Johanna Spyri to open its doors in 2020.

Construction firm Implenia Schweiz AG will oversee the development, dubbed Heidi Alperlebnis, which is being created visitor attraction specialists Steiner Sarnen.

Conceived as part of a plan to boost tourism in the region, famous for the character, the new attraction will allow visitors to experience what it is like to “be” Heidi, with indoor and outdoor locations recreating a traditional Swiss alpine village.

According to Steiner, the attraction will be a “real experience”, creating the world of Heidi on a scenic Alpine backdrop at the mountain resort of Flumserberg. The attraction will be accessible from Tannenboden village, which will also be redeveloped with a new cable car by Bergbahnen Flumserberg AG, underground parking and increased hotel offerings.

Activities will also be on offer, with visitors able to milk goats, craft wooden stools and meet actors portraying locals of the village, while a 3D theatre will offer a “voyage to Frankfurt”.

Once open, the new Heidi experience is expected to draw around 200,000 additional tourists to the area. An existing Heidi attraction in nearby Maienfeld attracts roughly 150,000 people annually.