FUTURE Research-based

foresight

STRATEGY Future- based

strategy

ACTION Strategy

enforcement

Denmark in the Mind of the

Russian Traveller An etnographic analysis of the perception of

Denmark as a destination on the Russian market

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We are consultants for strategic futures

FUTURE Research-based

foresight

STRATEGY Future- based

strategy

ACTION Strategy

enforcement

Kairos ( )

is an ancient Greek word meaning

the right or opportune moment.

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At a glance Denmark in the mind of the Russian traveller

Denmark is mentioned more than 2,000 times per month the last 12 months in Russian blogs, forums and microblogs.

More than 60,000 Denmark-related Russian Yandex searches are performed every month.

Highest interest in absolute numbers comes from Moscow and Saint Petersburg, where also the relative interest is

high.

Copenhagen is by far most well known destination, followed by Aalborg.

The Little Mermaid is the most well known attraction. Legoland and Tivoli are the most popular family attractions.

H.C Andersen, Carlsberg and Hamlet are strong associations.

Denmark is part of travel routes that also include Scandinavia, Germany or the Baltic countries. Copenhagen is the

dominant node.

Russian tourists complain about high prices, and some find the destination boring.

Overall Denmark is seen as an idyllic, modern and family-friendly destination.

Table of Contents

Methodology

Overall awareness

Topics and icons

Insights

Conclusions and recommendations

Methodology A combination of qualitative netnography and quantitative analysis

Qualitative netnography

• In-depth reading of individual blogs, microblogs, forum posts, and other online content

• Analysis of photographs taken by travellers and shared online, on Instagram or in blogs

Quantitative analysis

• Search statistics from Internet search engine Yandex, based on more than 60,000 monthly Russian searches

• Wordcloud based on around 10,000 travel related forum posts

• Research informed by analysis of around 30,000 blog posts

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Overall awareness

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Russians cities most interested in Denmark Based on average number of monthly Yandex searches for Denmark and Copenhagen

City Searches per month City Searches per month

1. Moscow 40,663 11. Chelyabinsk 1,531

2. Saint Petersburg 16,292 12. Saratov 1,493

3. Yekaterinburg 3,004 13. Ufa 1,454

4. Nizhny Novgorod 2,749 14. Perm 1,387

5. Rostov-on-Don 2,594 15. Krasnoyarsk 1,313

6. Novosibirsk 2,150 16. Volgograd 1,162

7. Kazan 1,821 17. Omsk 1,065

8. Krasnodar 1,685 18. Stavropol 895

9. Voronezh 1,674 19. Yaroslavl 890

10. Samara 1,553 20. Tula 889

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Where Russians are interested in Denmark Cities with highest interest (top) and highest relative interest (bottom) based on Yandex

searches for Denmark and Copenhagen

The size of the circles reflects absolute number of Yandex searches. Cities outside of Russia are included

to indicate all places where Russian-speakers seek information about Denmark. (In all other analyses in

this report, only searches from within Russia are included.)

Saint Petersburg, and Moscow are Russian cities where the search interest is most overrepresented.

(searches for Denmark divided by all searches is higher than in other cities). That also applies for cities lige

Dolgoprudny, Zelenograd Klimovsk, Nizhnekamsk but on a smaller scale.

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Cities in Denmark that interest Russians Based on number of Yandex searches from Russia

City Searches per month City Searches per month

1. Copenhagen 51645 11. Roskilde 196

2. Aalborg 5376 12. Horsens 167

3. Esbjerg 1755 13. Helsingør 152

4. Odense 1167 14. Herning 83

5. Randers 947 15. Taastrup 66

6. Aarhus 801 16. Svendborg 61

7. Silkeborg 672 17. Hillerød 57

8. Vejle 443 18. Nyborg 51

9. Viborg 391 19. Kolding 43

10. Fredericia 336 20. Næstved 37

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Cities in Denmark that interest Russians Based on number of Yandex searches from Russia

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City specific interest

City Associated search words

Copenhagen Sightseeing, capital, Stockholm, airport, Moscow, city, hotels, 2014, attractions, Helsinki, Little Mermaid,

Oslo, Malmö, bridge, FCK, Saint Petersburg, ferry, Tivoli, restaurants, Hamburg, train

Aalborg Denmark, football, Copenhagen, airport, attractions, design

Esbjerg Denmark, football, Harwich ferry

Odense Denmark, city, Copenhagen, pictures, map, H.C. Andersen, attractions

Randers Denmark, football

Aarhus Denmark, city, football, university, Copenhagen, airport, attractions, pictures

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Top attractions in Denmark Based on the number of Yandex searches from Russia

Attraction Searches per month

1. The Little Mermaid 470

2. Øresund Bridge 463

3. Legoland 368

4. Kronborg Castle 331

5. Tivoli 221

6. H.C. Andersen Museum 180

7. Christiania 160

8. Amalienborg 147

9. Carlsberg factory 112

10. Rosenborg Castle 110

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When Russians are interested in Denmark Number of Yandex searches. The Eurovision Song Contest had a big impact, first due to

the victory in 2013 and then due to organizing the event in 2014.

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Denmark Copenhagen

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Topics and icons

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Topics about travel to Denmark Based on text analysis of Russian travel forums

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Icons

Icon Strength

H.C. Andersen

Little Mermaid

Carlsberg

Lego

Hamlet

Royal family

Roskilde

Bang & Olufsen

Noma

Insights

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1. Convenient, modern and dull

Described as a good country to live in but boring as a destination:

"I was not satisfied with Copenhagen and in general there were few pleasant memories. I can say that the country is

pretty boring. It's definitely not a holiday destination. Attractions – max for a 3 days. It's probably good to live in

Denmark and to go on vacation somewhere else.”

One visitor expressed it more bluntly:

"The most boring country in Europe."

Even travellers who appreciate Copenhagen do not recommend spending more than a few days there:

"Copenhagen is worth to visit! 2 days is enough to see the whole city with museums and architecture!”

"Nice architecture, especially the colorful buildings in the small towns! Such a fairytale! But no need to stay more that

2-3 day.”

Some think that Denmark has better destinations to offer than Copenhagen:

"Why do the inexperienced travellers think that they need to go to the capital?! All cities in Denmark are the same, only

different size. In Aarhus at least there is a museum of the old city! Copenhagen – dark, unfriendly, expensive – just not

worth it at all."

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2. Great for families but too family-centered

for the rest

There are many posts in the Russian social media travel

sphere recommending Denmark as a good destination for

families with children:

"Tivoli – a very impressive amusement park! I suggest

to spend a whole day there. Kids love it! quite frankly

adults love it as well!"

"Best zoo in Europe! It has a Tasmanian devil! My kid

liked it a lot.”

Legoland and Tivoli top the list based on discussion in

travel forums, followed by Copenhagen Zoo, Blue Planet

and Bakken.

But some travellers think there is not much to do in

Denmark for travellers without children:

“Main destinations are Hamlet Castle/Kronborg Castle,

Legoland and Odense. But if you travel without kids,

2 days is enough.”

Children’s attraction Discussion volume

Legoland

Tivoli

Copenhagen Zoo

Blue Planet

Bakken

Lalandia Aquadome

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2. Great for families but too family-centered

for the rest

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3. Denmark “on the way” Finland, Sweden, Norway and Germany often part of the same itinerary as Denmark

Place Association

Helsinki

Sweden

Stockholm

Finland

Oslo

Malmo

Norway

Scandinavia

Germany

Iceland

Lund

Helsingborg

Riga

Tallinn

Denmark is often part of an itinerary involving other

neighboring countries and cities. Based on Russian

travel forum discussions, the places in the list to the left

are the ones most often occurring in posts about

Denmark.

The frequent mention of “DSB” and, to a lesser extent,

“Skanetrafiken” indicate a focus on transportation within

Denmark as well as to and from neighboring regions.

Trips integrating Denmark in a broader itinerary take many

forms, including those indicated in the posts below:

"I did a 50th birthday present for my mom: cruise Oslo-

Copenhagen-Helsinki. She loves it!”

"We sent documents for visa to Iceland. The route is

Copenhagen-Faroe Islands-Reykjavik.”

“Entry point is Stockholm. 3 nights, then drive to

Copenhagen, 2 nights.”

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3. Denmark “on the way” Finland, Sweden, Norway and Germany often part of the same itinerary as Denmark

Unlike the association diagram on the previous

slide, which is based on travel forum posts, the

network on the left is based on Yandex

searches, such as “train from Copenhagen to

Malmö”. The stronger the link between two

cities, the higher the number of searches.

Although there are some differences compared

to the association diagram, the general patterns

still hold: Denmark is part of routes that also

include Scandinavia, Germany or the Baltic

countries.

The diagram clearly shows that Copenhagen is

the dominant node and that the other Danish

cities are largely connected through

Copenhagen.

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4. Denmark through a Russian lens –

expected and unexpected motifs

Common photo motifs among Russian travellers in

Denmark include:

Sculptures and street art (see next page)

Traditional and modern architecture, especially colorful

houses (see Traditional and modern architecture

admired)

Wind power plants

Cottages, farms and windmills (see Countryside travel)

Bicycles (see Cycling considered a Danish

characteristic)

Pride Festival and other festivals (see Copenhagen

Pride Festival 2014: high impact on Instagram)

Photos of or with the royal guard in Copenhagen

Photos from the subway and comments such as: "It is

automatic! No driver so you can see the tunnel in front

of you!”

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Sculptures and street art popular motifs

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Traditional and modern architecture admired

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5. A liberal and tolerant country

Denmark is described in Russians as a liberal and

tolerant country.

During the 2014 Pride Festival in Copenhagen, the

difficult situation for gays in Russia was compared to that

of Denmark. The latter was hailed as a model. Rainbow

flags and the lively atmosphere of the Pride Festival were

common motifs in photos (see next slide) among Russian

travellers. The festival was considered fun and cool.

Young tourists like to visit Christiania, where some of

them buy weed. They think it is a cool place and take

pictures of local hippies.

“Very colorful graffiti, cute cafes. It is quite a safe

neighborhood for travelers, but many drunk and crazy

people. Should be on your must see list. I don't

recommend to go alone.“

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Copenhagen Pride Festival 2014: high impact

on Instagram

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6. Countryside travel

Russians who travel in Denmark by car often

drive around the countryside and stay for a day

at a farm or in a small town. Such

experiences are described as idyllic in travel

forums.

"Great time at the small village called Bavalda.

We rented a house for our whole family of 3

and paid 2,300 euro. Great location on the

beach, many German tourist staying nearby,

BBQ, sea food, beautiful sea, fishing and wind

surfing.”

There are many photos of windmills taken

during road trips. One post pointed out that

windmills do not exist in Russia. It is seen as

something unique and historical. A lot of

mentions of a boutique hotel with an old

windmills at the entrance.

Travellers also provide prices for buying food

from the farms or for self-picking.

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7. New Nordic Cuisine an unknown concept

New Nordic cuisine represents a very small share of travel related online discussions about Denmark. In general,

surprisingly few forum posts and photos feature food and food related topics. Even Noma attracts only around 50 Yandex

searches from Russia per month. The common impression about Danish food appears rather dull:

"Danish cuisine is not particularly different from Russian: potatoes and meat. Cucumbers, cabbage and beets are

not salted but pickled. For our taste too sweet. In the morning all Danes have oatmeal milk and sugar sprinkles, children

with raisins, and at work they eat sandwiches.”

There are many complaints about the difficulty of finding warm soups and of too much cold food in general:

"Danish cuisine is not bad, but they don't eat much hot food, everything is tasty but cold.”

"Denmark should have some proper soup, nice and hot! Local food is in general not bad but the fact that we were not

able to have any soup just freaked me out.”

"They don't drink soups. In the rare cases when tomato soup is served, it is cold.”

On Instagram, Russian travellers share many pictures of apples, strawberries, cucumbers, and pumpkins. Ecological

food is a noticeable selling point for restaurants such as BioMio in the cities:

"Good food from the farms with no GMO."

"Good food = green food + reasonable price.”

Beer is perhaps the strongest gastronomic association among Russia travellers. They like of the Carlsberg Museum,

especially the beer tasting part. Trips to Carsberg factory are described, with beer tasting and history of the brand.

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8. Cycling – more observation than

participation

Russians are still unused to cycling and this can be seen in the few posts by travellers who decided to rent bikes during

their trips in Denmark:

"Well organized traffic in Copenhagen, I was so scared to ride, I am not good at it. But my husband persisted and I did

it!!!! Super proud of myself. After my trip I will definitely buy a nice bike at least will use it on weekend.”

"Enjoyed a bike ride in Copenhagen, best city in the world for a bike ride.”

“Bikes are available for free everywhere!”

In general, there are more comments that observe cycling as a cultural phenomenon than comments about travellers

cycling themselves:

"It seems to me that in Denmark there are only bikes, no people.”

"For many years the Danish nation has produced winners of international bicycle competitions. They are really the

number one bike country in the world.”

"The Danish easily identify themselves with their athletes-cyclists, because most of them have been using bicycles

daily. The bike is not only the most environmentally friendly form of transport, it is also very good for "kondi" (which

means good physical shape)."

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8. Cycling – more observation than

participation

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9. Not a nature destination, but some

potential

Surprisingly few posts or photos relate to nature in

Denmark. Some comments describe the beauty of the

sea and the nice beaches, highlighting activities such as

fishing and windsurfing.

"Beautiful beaches, the pity is only that summer lasts

only from July to Aug.”

"Go for a yacht trip for day or two. Sea fishing and

beautiful cold sea. A bit pricy but worth it.”

The only destination with strong nature associations is

Faroe Islands, which is perceived as a nature and

wildlife destination:

"Faroe islands – such beauty destination!!! Ecotourism

+ cold diving! I am soo exited to go! Please recommend

me a place to stay."

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10. Not a shopping-friendly destination

Some comments paint Copenhagen as a bad place to

shop:

"Is Amsterdam a better option for shopping? In my

opinion, to go to Copenhagen for shopping is a

waste of time, money and effort. There are lots of

other cities in Europe where you can do cool shopping.

Not to mention the fact that the flights to and

accommodation in Copenhagen are not the cheapest.”

Prices in Denmark are known to be high:

“Yes, we are prepared for the high prices of

Copenhagen, we’ll se how it actually is.”

Travellers also complain that it is difficult or expensive to

pay by non-Danish cards:

“I heard that Denmark takes a high commission when

paying by non-Danish bank cards. The hotel

confirmed this but I don’t know exactly how much. Now

I’m thinking about withdrawing at the airport.”

"Denmark has the problem that about 9/10 of places do

not accept Visa or MasterCard."

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11. Festivals a selling point, but more

information needed

Three Danish festivals are commonly discussed in Russian social media: the Roskilde Festival, the Pride Festival, and

Copehagen Cooking.

Typical comments about Roskilde Rock Festival include:

"The biggest rock festival in Europe. Those who want to have only the cream of the festival season, it is enough to visit

this one.”

"Roskilde reminds of Grushinsky Festival: nearly a hundred thousand people and much more to it than the music.”

Many Russians shared photos from the 2014 Pride Festival in Copenhagen featuring the fun and lively atmosphere

(see more under A liberal and open country).

Copenhagen Cooking was also highly appreciated, as indicated by several posts:

"One of the sites of the gastronomic festival Copenhagen Cooking was all about eating street food. Colorful and cheap,

the market is located in one of the hangars of the fashion district called Paper Island, not far from the legendary

restaurant Noma.”

But more pre-trip information about local festivals and activities is desired:

"We did not know anything about this food festival. We were lucky that we happened to travel at the exact time of the

festival. I wish we would be able to know more about such a local activities before we plan our trip. It was a nice

surprise.”

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12. A fairytale destination

The connection between Denmark and H.C. Andersen

fairytales has a strong influence on how some Russians

see Denmark as a picturesque and peaceful

destination. “The little Mermaid” is the most famous

attraction according to search statistics, and also the H.C.

Andersen Museum and Andersen statues are popular.

The connection to his home town Odense is strong.

“You have to visit Odense, home of Andersen and heart

of the fairytale destination.”

Another literature related tourist attraction is Kronborg

Castle, often called the Hamlet Castle or Elsinore in

Russian social media. The renaissance castle is

mentioned by many different bloggers, in a very positive

way.

“Kronborg Castle is very beautiful! Famous from Hamlet, a

must see!”

Most popular Andersen

fairytales in Russia

Number of Russian

searches per month

The Little Mermaid 8,231

The Snow Queen 5,936

The Nightingale 2,533

The Ugly Duckling 2,088

Thumbelina 1,927

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13. The royal family as an ideal family

Few contemporary Danish celebrities are mentioned, but

the royal family strikes a chord with the Russian bloggers

and captures to many what a family should be like.

"The royal family is an example of a perfect traditional

family.”

“I heard that Denmark has the highest divorce rate in

Europe. It is weird, since the royal family seems so

perfect.”

Pictures, especially selfies, are taken with the royal

guards. Visitors describe their uniforms as "cool and cute”,

and also mention that the flag outside the royal palace is

risen only when the queen is present.

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Common complaints

Most common complaints expressed about Denmark:

1. Everything is expensive, including accommodation,

food and transportation

2. The main attractions overrun by tourists

3. Not enough activities for adults in the cities for more

than 2-3 days

4. Most cities similar to each other, no clear characteristic

5. Too much cold food, difficult to get warm soups

6. Shopping not as good as in some other European

cities

7. High fees for using non-Danish bank cards

8. Russian and even English language material is

sometimes lacking

9. Lack of information available prior to trip about events

10.Copenhagen airport is chaotic

11.Speculation that Denmark might restore border control,

making travel more difficult

Example quotes with complaints:

“But don’t go to Tivoli! It's a tourist trap that will keep you

for a day and make you loose precious time of your trip!”

“The price for taking the train within Denmark is just

ridiculous!”

“Why is it so difficult to get a warm soup?!”

“If you don’t have children, 2 days are enough.”

“The most boring country in Europe."

“In my opinion, to go to Copenhagen for shopping is a

waste of time, money and effort.“

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Conclusions and recommendations

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Conclusions and recommendations (1/3)

In some regards, Denmark has difficulties attracting the interest of Russian tourists:

Cycling is an activity that most Russians are unused to and unlikely to adopt any time soon.

Most Russian visitors consider Danish food expensive and nothing special. The awareness of New Scandinavian

Cuisine is low (see more about food on next page).

Fishing in Denmark does not have many mention in travel forums, but there might be a potential considering that

fishing is a big activity for Russian tourists in some of Denmark’s neighboring destinations, especially Finland where

it is combined with berry or mushroom picking and sauna.

While travel forums contain some questions about shopping in Copenhagen, there are few posts that convey a

positive image of shopping in Denmark compared to other major European cities (more about shopping on next

page).

There is a general perception of Denmark as an expensive destination.

On the other hand, Denmark as a destination has some strong selling points on the Russian market:

The value proposition in family travel is very strong, with attractions such as Legoland, Tivoli and Copenhagen Zoo.

In general, Denmark is considered a safe and convenient location.

The Danish countryside, small towns, farms and windmills are perceived as charming and picturesque. Staying in

a farmhouse is considered idyllic and relaxing. Many Russian tourists prefer to travel by car, which makes these parts of

Denmark accessible.

The architecture and street art of Copenhagen are appreciated.

Festivals, notably the Roskilde Festival, the Pride Festival and Copenhagen Cooking, draw positive attention.

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Conclusions and recommendations (2/3)

In addition, Denmark has several strong symbols and icons associated to it, including H.C. Andersen, Hamlet, Little

Mermaid, the Royal Family, and Carlsberg. Given the low awareness among Russians of Danish, or European in general,

icons, these and other existing symbols should be utilized as much as possible.

Denmark is tightly integrated into European travel routes, especially a Scandinavian route. This creates opportunities

to achieve synergies through collaboration, but also a need for Denmark to distinguish itself from its neighbors to increase

its share of time of such trips.

Among the Danish city destinations, Copenhagen dominates completely. Meanwhile, travel forum posts describe Danish

cities as too similar. Thus, the distinct offerings of different Danish cities should be emphasized.

Shopping is a relatively large theme for Russian tourism overall, but its association to Denmark is relatively low. There

are complaints about the high fees for paying with non-Danish bank cards and claims that other European cities are better

for shopping. Russian travellers are generally well aware of what each country or region specialize in. Can Denmark

promote its unique design and brands to set itself apart from other European destinations?

European destinations that are considered to offer good food are either the traditional ones (such as France) or those

offering good snacks and street food at reasonable prices (e.g. Belgium’s waffles and chocolate). Can Denmark promote

affordable New Scandinavian Street Food?

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Conclusions and recommendations (3/3)

Travellers for whom Denmark is only one part of the trip often think 2-3 days in Denmark are enough. Can they be

persuaded to stay longer through more information about museums, festivals and other activities?

Compared to many other European destinations, Denmark is considered safe and civilized, with a high quality of living

for its inhabitants. This image can be used to promote various aspects of the destination.

There are currently many negative comments as well as unanswered questions about Denmark in Russian travel

forums. There might be lessons to learn from private companies, who actively respond to questions and concerns in

social media.

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