Sudipta Dev – Mumbai
Denmark, along with other Scandinavian countries (Norway and Sweden) have been focused on attracting Indian travellers in the recent years. The efforts seem to have paid off with Denmark witnessing a growth of 31 per cent from the India market this year when compared to 2014. In an exclusive interaction with Express TravelWorld, Flemming Bruhn, director, VisitDenmark said, “For next year our growth expectations is at least 20 per cent. We have different kinds of strength in Scandinavian countries, for example Norway we have fantastic nature, in Denmark it is culture and shopping.”
Pointing out that there is much more to Denmark than the city of Copenhagen, he mentioned, “Denmark has 600 castles across the country. Quite a few are converted into heritage hotels.”
Copenhagen is a world famous MICE destination, and according to Bruhn it will be particularly suitable for the India market. There are 15 Michelin starred restaurants in Copenhagen itself. The large Indian populace in the country has ensured that there are also many Indian restaurants.
The third largest city in Denmark is Odense, which is the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. Visitors can experience the world of fairy tales, go for a city walk ‘On the Footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen’ with a map in hand, and see where he lived, his school and workplace, and other landmarks. There is also the world’s first Legoland. Lego being a Danish brand the original Legoland Park is in Billund. Another interesting aspect for visitors in Denmark is discovering the Viking heritage. “There are festivals going on throughout the year, particularly during summer time. You can live like a Viking, see how they fought against each other. One of the best Viking ships in the world is just outside Copenhagen,” added Bruhn.
All the three Scandinavian countries are being promoted together in India. “We have done good education in the last few years for the travel trade in India, there were trips for the travel trade and media,” he said. These countries have also become active on social media for the India market.
Most of the visitors have been from the metro cities in India. “We hope to see many more Indians coming. All Scandinavians speak English, so Indians will feel welcomed in our country,” Bruhn concluded.