People still get Sweden and Switzerland mixed up. Every year, 120,000 people google the question: “Are Sweden and Switzerland the same?”. Even the most informed and powerful people on earth can’t always tell the two countries apart; A world leader, the New York Stock Exchange, and a famous popstar have all experienced this. Determined to end the confusion once and for all, Sweden is now proposing actions.
A recent study commissioned by Visit Sweden uncovered that 50% of US respondents are not confident in their ability to decipher differences in Swedish and Swiss cultures. The confusion sometimes has greater implications: one in ten American respondents has admitted to booking, or nearly booking a flight, tour or activity in the wrong country when travelling to Sweden or Switzerland. More than 1 in 10 Brits admitted to confusing Sweden and Switzerland as being the same, and 28% also wrongly highlighted IKEA or ABBA as things they loved about Switzerland rather than Sweden.
To solve this issue, Visit Sweden, the Swedish tourist board, is reaching out to their European friend to decide who talks about what. A settlement draft between Sweden and Switzerland has been presented, but Visit Sweden is open to discussion.
“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. Sweden offers luxury of a different nature. That’s why we believe it’s time to decide who promotes what, and hopefully we can reach an agreement”, said Susanne Andersson, CEO Visit Sweden.
Sweden: luxury of a different nature
With a good dose of humour, Sweden is highlighting aspects that are known to attract travellers. They want to show that Sweden offers luxury of a different nature.
Sweden’s plea is simple: “We will communicate things like sandbanks, rooftops, and silence. Meanwhile, Switzerland will focus on banks, mountain tops, and yodelling. We are still waiting for an official response, but we’re hoping that Switzerland is willing to negotiate with us on this important matter”, continues Andersson.
The full proposition can be read and signed at https://visitsweden.com/sweden-not-switzerland/, and hopefully, in the future, tourists will know that they are visiting Sweden (and not Switzerland). (PRNewswire)
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