People still get Sweden and Switzerland mixed up, according to Visit Sweden. Every year, the tourist board says, 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 pop star 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 in the US uncovered that 50% of respondents are not confident in their ability to decipher differences in Swedish and Swiss cultures. The confusion sometimes has greater implications: one in 10 American respondents has admitted to booking, or nearly booking a flight, tour or activity in the wrong country when travelling to Sweden or Switzerland.
Meanwhile, more than one in 10 Brits admitted 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 that end, Visit Sweden, is reaching out to their European neighbour with a draft “settlement” between the two countries that determines who talks about what.
With a good dose of humour, Sweden is highlighting aspects that are known to attract travellers.
Sweden’s plea is simple: “We will communicate things like sandbanks, rooftops, and silence. Meanwhile, Switzerland will focus on banks, mountain tops, and yodelling,” says Susanne Andersson, CEO of Visit Sweden.
“If people struggle to separate our two countries, we need to help them,” she adds. “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.”
Andersson says, “We are still waiting for an official response, but we’re hoping that Switzerland is willing to negotiate with us on this important matter. And hopefully in the future, tourists will know that they are visiting Sweden (and not Switzerland).”
The full proposition (and video) can be seen at https://visitsweden.com/sweden-not-switzerland/.