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Are Danes ditching traditions and heading abroad for Christmas?

An increasing number of Danes appear to be jettisoning their established Christmas traditions and heading to warmer climes for the festive season.

Are Danes ditching traditions and heading abroad for Christmas?
Photo: haveseen/Depositphotos

Data from Telenor, one of Denmark’s four main mobile phone operators, shows that use of roaming data by customers spikes significantly at Christmas, the company said in a press release.

In the week leading up to Christmas, around 300,000 Telenor customers used roaming data in 191 countries.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about the end of EU roaming charges

Although the data does not show the exact number who actually spent Christmas abroad, it suggests an increasing tendency to do just that, the company says.

Compared with data from previous years, more people are using their mobiles to roam at Christmas time, Telenor network expert Jesper Mølbak said.

“When we look at the number of Telenor customers who a currently abroad, we can clearly see that many travelled over the weekend gone by,” Mølbak said.

“This is testament to more and more Danes choosing to spend Christmas outside of Denmark. It’s a trend we’ve seen in recent years and we can also see an increase compared to last year,” he added.

A particularly popular roaming destination for Telenor customers is Spain, encompassing holiday destinations like Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. A 69 percent increase in roaming in Spain was registered on December 24th, compared to 2018.

Meanwhile, data traffic fell significantly more between 6pm and 10pm on Christmas Eve compared to an average day, Telenor said.

That suggests that Danes – or at least Telenor’s 1.7 million customers in Denmark – were happy to put their mobiles aside while enjoying the traditional Christmas Eve celebrations.

READ ALSO: My five favourite Danish childhood Christmas memories

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CHRISTMAS

Thousands more families in Denmark seek Christmas charity

A significant increase in families have sought Christmas help from the Danish Red Cross compared to last winter.

Thousands more families in Denmark seek Christmas charity

Higher process for food, electricity, gas and fuel are being felt by vulnerable families in Denmark, driving more to apply for Christmas packages offered by the Red Cross, broadcaster DR writes.

The NGO said in a statement that more people than ever before have applied for its Christmas help or julehjælp assistance for vulnerable families.

While 15,000 people applied for the charity last year, the number has already reached 20,000 in 2022.

“We are in an extraordinary situation this year where a lot more people have to account for every single krone to make their finances work,” Danish Red Cross general secretary Anders Ladekarl said in the press statement.

“For many more, their finances no longer work, and this is unfortunately reflected by these numbers,” he said.

The Red Cross Christmas assistance consists of a voucher worth 900 kroner redeemable at Coop stores or, in some stores, a hamper consisting of products.

READ ALSO: These are Denmark’s deadlines for sending international mail in time for Christmas

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