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UK can’t get enough of Sweden, survey reveals

Despite a recent explosion of Scandinavian TV dramas broadcast in the UK portraying Sweden as a bleak, crime-ridden nation, a new survey reveals Brits' perception of the Nordic nation is far more positive.

Published: 12 March 2015 11:55 CET
UK can't get enough of Sweden, survey reveals
Photo: Johan Willner/imagebank.sweden.se

Rather than the dark and desolate place depicted in the Wallander crime dramas, Sweden is seen by Brits as a clean and beautiful place, as well as a force for good in the world, according to a survey of The Local's UK-based readers. But Sweden’s much-praised food and start-up scenes aren't yet top-of-mind.

The survey included questions about their connections to, and attitudes, toward Sweden. Respondents were also asked to provide three words that come to mind when they think of Sweden. The results offer insights into what Brits think of Sweden – and above all, they think it’s clean.

“Clean, beautiful, nature, equality, Abba, and Ikea seems to sum it up,” Nicola Clase, Swedish ambassador to the UK, told The Local after viewing the report.


Click to enlarge.

Among other things, the survey found that 92 percent of The Local’s UK-based readers are considering a visit to Sweden in the future. Of those, 44 percent said they would consider taking a holiday in Sweden within the next year.

More than 70 percent of the respondents had already visited Sweden, and most of them had travelled to the country multiple times.

But the results, based on responses gathered from 452 of The Local’s 100,000 UK-based readers, showed that UK interest in Sweden goes far beyond tourism. British readers have a distinctly positive impression of what it means to be Swedish.

When asked if Sweden was a highly innovative country, an overwhelming 69 percent of respondents said yes, while 21 percent was unsure. When asked if Swedish products were well-designed, 87 percent said yes, and only 4 percent disagreed.

Sweden comes third in innovation index

"The results are really positive and show the great relationship between the UK and Sweden," Clase said. "It's wonderful that UK readers see Sweden as innovative, environmentally friendly, and a force for good in the world.”

Nearly 70 percent of readers also said they believe Sweden is a force of good in the world, and that Swedish companies can be trusted.

“What’s interesting here is that our readers get a warts-and-all view of Sweden from our daily reporting, the good and the bad,” said Paul Rapacioli, CEO of The Local. “And yet the results were still uniformly positive. So the goodwill clearly runs deep.”

Sweden’s devotion to the environment has also made a distinct impression on UK readers, with 85 percent agreeing that the country takes sustainability seriously.


Wind power in Sweden. Photo: Lars Lundberg/Imagebank Sweden

Gender equality is another impressive Swedish export, the survey reveals, with 62 percent of respondents saying that Sweden’s gender equality gives the nation a competitive advantage.

“Given the overall positive attitudes, it’s not surprising that everybody wants to come here, to have a bit of that Swedishness rub off on them,” Rapacioli remarked.

“Anyone promoting a Swedish brand, or indeed the country itself, in the UK has a terrific competitive advantage,” Rapacioli said.

“But they must make sure they cultivate this advantage intelligently and with due respect for British values. Because without the right kind of cultural awareness, even this level of admiration can turn sour.”

But the survey also revealed there was room for improving foreigners’ awareness of current trends in Sweden.

While Sweden has received a steady stream of press and praise for its booming start-up scene, the survey results indicate that “Sweden” and “start-up” are not necessarily synonymous in the UK.

More than half of respondents, 56 percent, were unsure whether Sweden was a great place for start-ups. And 14 percent disagreed outright.

"It looks like we need to further strengthen the communication that Sweden is a great country for start-ups," Jessica Stark, CEO and co-founder of start-up co-working space SUP46, told The Local. "Stockholm is one of the absolutely top start-up cities in the world."

 A recent report from Atomico revealed that Stockholm has the largest number of billion dollar start-ups in Europe, Stark said.

"Per capita Stockholm is second in the world after Silicon Valley."

Stark added that the success stories of companies like Spotify, King, Klarna, and Mojang are crucial for the next generation of start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Ten Swedish start-ups you should know about

"They see that it is possible to build a company that can conquer the world," she said. "And for the moment we definitely see a growing start-up community in Stockholm. Last year there was a 338 percent growth in VC funding."

And despite respondents' faith in the quality of Swedish design, 41 percent of readers were also unsure whether or not they would “prefer to buy Swedish, given the choice”.

The same percentage was unsure if Sweden is a “good place for 'foodies'”, and 21 percent disagreed.

But Ami Hovstadius, project manager of the Try Swedish initiative, viewed the results optimistically.

"I actually interpret this research as very positive," Hovstadius told The Local. "Our research shows that in 2009 the awareness and connection to food and Sweden was close to zero, and now 38 percent say Sweden is a great place for foodies."


Swedish food. Photo: Jakob Fridholm/Imagebank Sweden

Try Swedish is a project aiming to "make Sweden the best country for food by 2020", and Hovstadius, who is also country manager of VisitSweden in the UK, said the agency has only been promoting Swedish food in the UK since 2011.

The survey, she said, shows that they are making progress.  

"Before Sweden was known for the beautiful countryside, welfare, Abba, and Ikea – but food?"

And although it is a "great challenge" to compete with food nations like France, Italy, and Spain, Hovstadius noted that even Spain built a food reputation in just 15 to 20 years.

"We still have a lot of work to do, and now we have to work harder," she added. "But the good news is that, with the last few years of development in Sweden and the many new great restaurants and cafes, the story will get even better."

Paul Johnston, British Ambassador to Sweden, said it was great to see how much Brits love Sweden.

"I know from personal experience that almost every visitor we've had in our four years here has gone away in love with this country, and determined to come back," he told The Local. "It's a really strong foundation for a wider relationship."

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TRAVEL NEWS

Why are fewer British tourists visiting Spain this year?

Almost 800,000 fewer UK holidaymakers have visited Spain in 2023 when compared to 2019. What’s behind this big drop?

Published: 23 August 2023 11:36 CEST
Updated: 26 August 2023 18:32 CEST
Why are fewer British tourists visiting Spain this year?

Spain welcomed 12.2 million UK tourists between January and July 2023, 6 percent less when compared to the same period in 2019, according to data released on Monday by Spanish tourism association Turespaña.

This represents a decrease of 793,260 British holidaymakers for Spain so far this year.

Conversely, the number of Italian (+8 percent), Irish (+15.3 percent), Portuguese (+24.8 percent), Dutch (+4 percent) and French tourists (+5 percent) visiting España in 2023 are all above the rates in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. 

German holidaymakers are together with their British counterparts the two main nationalities showing less interest in coming to Spanish shores.

Britons still represent the biggest tourist group that comes to Spain, but it’s undergoing a slump, with another recent study by Caixabank Research suggesting numbers fell particularly in June 2023 (-12.5 percent of the usual rate). 

READ ALSO: Spain fully booked for summer despite most expensive holiday prices ever

So are some Britons falling out of love with Spain? Are there clear reasons why a holiday on the Spanish coast is on fewer British holiday itineraries?

According to Caixabank Research’s report, the main reasons are “the poor macroeconomic performance of the United Kingdom, the sharp rise in rates and the weakness of the pound”.

This is evidenced in the results of a survey by British market research company Savanta, which found that one in six Britons are not going on a summer holiday this year due to the UK’s cost-of-living crisis.

Practically everything, everywhere has become more expensive, and that includes holidays in Spain: hotel stays are up 44 percent, eating out is 13 percent pricier, and flights are 40 percent more on average. 

READ ALSO: How much more expensive is it to holiday in Spain this summer?

Caixabank stressed that another reason for the drop in British holidaymakers heading to Spain is that those who can afford a holiday abroad are choosing “more competitive markets” such as Turkey, Greece and Portugal. 

And there’s no doubt that the insufferably hot summer that Spain is having, with four heatwaves so far, has also dissuaded many holidaymakers from Blighty from overcooking in the Spanish sun. 

With headlines such as “This area of Spain could become too hot for tourists” or “tourists say it’s too hot to see any sights” featuring in the UK press, budding British holidaymakers are all too aware of the suffocating weather conditions Spain and other Mediterranean countries are enduring. 

Other UK outlets have urged travellers to try out the cooler Spanish north rather than the usual piping hot Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol destinations.

Another UK poll by InsureandGo found that 71 percent of the 2,000+ British respondents thought that parts of Europe such as Spain, Greece and Turkey will be too hot to visit over summer by 2027.

There’s further concern that the introduction in 2024 of the new (and delayed) ETIAS visa for non-EU visitors, which of course now also applies to UK nationals, could further compel British tourists to choose countries to holiday in rather than Spain.

READ MORE: Will British tourists need to pay for a visa waiver to enter Spain?

However, a drop in the number of British holidaymakers may not be all that bad for Spain, even though they did spend over €17 billion on their Spanish vacations in 2022. 

Towns, cities and islands across the country have been grappling with the problem of overtourism and the consequences it has on everything from quality of life for locals to rent prices. 

READ ALSO: ‘Beach closed’ – Fake signs put up in Spain’s Mallorca to dissuade tourists

The overcrowded nature of Spain’s beaches and most beautiful holiday hotspots appears to be one of the reasons why Germans are visiting Spain in far fewer numbers. A recent report in the country’s most read magazine Stern asked “if the dream is over” in their beloved Mallorca.

Spanish authorities are also seeking to overhaul the cheaper holiday package-driven model that dominates many resorts, which includes moving away from the boozy antics of young British and other European revellers.

Fewer tourists who spend more are what Spain is theoretically now looking for, and the rise in American, Japanese and European tourists other than Brits signify less of a dependence on the British market, one which tends to maintain the country’s tourism status quo for better or for worse.

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