Do You Mix Up Sweden And Switzerland? Well, if you do, then don't be too embarrassed by your mistake! A recent study commissioned by Visit Sweden uncovered that 50% of respondents in America are not confident in their ability to decipher differences in Swedish and Swiss culture.
So you are definitely not alone in this confusion, and Sweden is now going to help everyone put an end to the confusion!
A Solution for Decades of Confusion
After decades of confusion, Sweden is tired of being mixed up with Switzerland. And Switzerland is probably just as tired of being mixed up with Sweden.
In fact, during the last year, 85,000 Google searches originating from the United States asked, “Are Sweden and Switzerland the same?” according to data from MyTelescope.
To shed light on this perplexing mix-up, Visit Sweden, the Swedish tourist board, embarked on a quest to unravel people's perceptions of Sweden and Switzerland*.
Brace yourself for the results, for they reveal an almost unbelievable truth. Half of those folks who were surveyed were actually confused and unsure of the distinction between the captivating Swedish and Swiss cultures.
So, it's not just you! The confusion runs deep, my traveling friends!
Cultural associations with Sweden and Switzerland are greatly overlapped, especially as it relates to nature and sightseeing. For example, over 80% of survey respondents associate both Sweden and Switzerland with mountaintops – but less than 20% associated Sweden with the country’s beautiful coastline, which stretches for nearly 2,000 miles!
When it comes to natural wonders, some of the respondents even associate the Northern Lights with Switzerland, when the phenomenon is a Swedish claim to fame. We won’t even get started about meatballs…
The confusion sometimes has greater implications: one in ten respondents in the survey have admitted to booking, or nearly booking a flight, tour or activity in the wrong country when traveling to Sweden or Switzerland. In some cases, the mix-ups have even been life changing.
Visit Sweden is on a mission to end the confusion! With a dash of humor, they're reaching out to their European friend to playfully showcase the differences between these two amazing countries.
Sweden: Luxury of a Different Nature
“If people struggle to separate our two countries, we need to help them. We can’t change the names of our nations, but we can become more distinct.
Switzerland is often referred to as the pinnacle of luxury - however, Sweden offers luxury of a different nature, and these differences, in all of their beauty, are what we want to showcase,” explains Susanne Andersson, CEO at Visit Sweden.
When you watch the proposition from Sweden to Switzerland, it's clear why travelers are drawn to explore the accessible nature of Sweden. From island hopping in the picturesque archipelagos to witnessing the stunning Northern Lights, there's so much to experience and enjoy!
Sweden's plea is simple: “We will be able to celebrate attributes like sandbanks, rooftops and silence. Meanwhile Switzerland will focus on banks, mountain tops and yodeling.”
The full proposition and information about the Swedish kind of luxury can be found at visitsweden.com. This was creative with the goal that tourists will know that they are visiting Sweden - and not Switzerland.
Visit Sweden has an official assignment from the Swedish government to market Sweden as a destination. This vision is that Sweden by 2030 is the world's most sustainable and attractive destination built on innovation.
Visit Sweden is a limited company with 50 employees across the world. The Company is based in Stockholm and the turnover 2022 was SEK 159,9 million. Welcome to Sweden, a destination of a different nature.
*Visit Sweden conducted this survey in partnership with first-party data platform Dynata to understand Americans' perceptions of Sweden and Switzerland's geography, culture, and tourism.
Leave a Reply