Scandinavia not top for tourism
Travelers prefer countries outside Scandinavia, a new survey shows
Sarah Bostock & Michael Sandelson
The Foreigner
One in three of Norway’s travel companies think 2015 will be a good year domestically, but travelers prefer other countries outside Scandinavia, a new survey shows.
Sweden comes 13th, Norway 17th, and Denmark 21st in company Bloom Consulting’s 2014-15 Country Brand Ranking Tourism Edition (Europe region). The Scandinavian countries’ global rankings are 29th, 37th, and 49th position, respectively.
Bloom Consulting’s fourth edition of their survey uses six dimensions. These are attraction of investment, attraction of tourism, and attraction of talent. Strengthening national pride, strengthening public diplomacy, and strengthening exports are considered as well.
“Each of these six objectives and dimensions has a specific target audience with distinct needs. The target audience of tourism, for example, is tourists, who overwhelmingly seek an unparalleled vacation experience when visiting a branded country, region, or city,” explains the company.
Bloom Consulting says that it also focuses on the importance of online appeal relating to countries’ success.
“According to the Google Traveler report, nearly 70% of leisure travelers utilized the Internet as a trusted source of information when choosing a destination for travel. … As a result, millions of travelers worldwide are so inspired by the results they see on search engines that they choose to travel to a destination based on its online image,” explains Bloom Consulting.
The online presence variable holds a more significant weight in a country’s final ranking.
This article was originally published on The Foreigner. To subscribe to The Foreigner, visit theforeigner.no.
It also appeared in the Jan. 23, 2014, issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
