Denmark among the worst at attracting tourists

Christian W    April 14th, 2015

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Just Cyprus, Luxembourg and Slovakia fared worse in Europe

Where are all the tourists? (photo: iStock)

For the past decade, Denmark has ranked among the worst nations in Europe and the former Soviet bloc at attracting foreign tourists, according to Momentum, the newsletter of local council organisation KL.

From 2004 to 2014, Denmark was the fifth-worst out of 48 countries surveyed, ahead of just Cyprus, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Kyrgyzstan.

“It’s become cheaper to travel to distant places and that’s a new competition parameter for Denmark,” Susanne Nordenbæk, the head of tourism and business at business advocate organisation Dansk Erhverv, told Momentum.

“Before people used to travel to a destination for three weeks, but today they travel more often, but over shorter time periods.”

READ MORE: High prices are costing Denmark tourists

Armenia tops
Denmark has experienced a 4 percent increase of overnight stays of foreign tourists over the past decade – a poor return compared to nearby countries like Germany (40 percent), Finland (23 percent) and Sweden (21 percent).

Top of the list was Armenia (97 percent) followed by Georgia (92 percent), Albania and Montenegro (both 86 percent). The European average experienced an increase of 25 percent.

According to Momentum, tourism in Denmark came under severe pressure between 2004 and 2009, and while the number of overnight stays has increased in recent years, it’s still below 2003 levels.