Swederland: meatball fondue, anyone? “Sweden, Not Switzerland” proposition gains momentum and global support
110 million have seen and 38 000 people in 44 countries across the world have engaged with the petition to establish a clear distinction between Sweden and Switzerland. The overwhelming support for its proposal, aiming to put an end to the confusion, has prompted Sweden to release a new official video response.
Photo: Visit Sweden (Download)
How do you gently tell the world that Sweden and Switzerland are two different countries?
You ask your Swiss friends for help.
Earlier this autumn, Visit Sweden set out to end this confusion between countries once and for all. Hundreds of encouraging comments, suggestions and short films have been received from across the world including from ambassadors, influencers, news channels and members of the public who have crafted their own lists and breakdowns of each country´s assets.
This outpouring of love has prompted Visit Sweden to release a new video message as a way of thanking the Swiss, and everyone else who contributed, for their involvement, with the same dose of humor as the original video.
“We're thrilled by the tremendously positive response which has genuinely taken us by surprise. While we knew it was a compelling campaign with a playful twist, the speed at which it has been embraced has been remarkable”, says Susanne Andersson, CEO of Visit Sweden.
A wide range of suggestions: from distinctions to merging our countries.
Among the public suggestions are that Sweden will continue to talk about things like meatballs and cinnamon buns, ABBA, Pippi Longstocking and moose. Meanwhile, Switzerland will focus on chocolate, cheese fondue, DJ Bobo, Heidi and cows. Many insisted, for instance, that we should keep surströmming, fermented herring, to ourselves.
“I can’t really understand why, but we are happy with that”, continues Susanne Andersson, with a smile.
Some people even suggested that Sweden and Switzerland should simply merge into one meatball fondue-serving super country called Swederland.
Thanks to everyone's input, tourists will now be aware that they are visiting Sweden (and not Switzerland). As several comments point to similar confusions also between other countries, such as Austria and Australia, perhaps the initiative could be an inspiration for other countries to follow. Who´s next?
Welcome to Sweden - a luxury of a different nature
Experience Sweden´s silence, northern lights and sandbanks, choose your destination here. We look forward to seeing you soon!
View the new video
Download press images and video
Watch the original proposition video
Sign the proposal document
Visit visitsweden.com/sweden-not-switzerland
Facts Sweden (not Switzerland)
During the first days of the initiative, launched on 24 October 2023, over 860 news articles have been published about Sweden in over 40 countries across the world reaching millions of readers. Tens of thousands of interactions across social media channels have poured in and thousands of people are contributing with their suggestions of who gets to talk about what.
- 37 830 engagements on Visit Sweden's social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube).
- Around 3 000 new suggestions of who can talk about what on our campaign pages.
- 71% of all visitors now say they are more interested in visiting Sweden.
Examples of international publications around the world:
USA: ABC News, ABC Action News, Forbes, Thrillist, MSN
Switzerland: 20 minutes, Watson
France: France 2 Le 20h
Germany: ZDF Heute in Europa
United Kingdom: Independent
South Korea: Korean Broadcasting System KLAB
Visit Sweden has an official assignment from the Swedish government to market Sweden as a destination. Our vision is that Sweden by 2030 is the world's most sustainable and attractive destination built on innovation. Visit Sweden is a limited company with 50 employees across the world. The Company is based in Stockholm and the turnover 2022 was SEK 159,9 million.
Welcome to Sweden, a destination of a different nature.
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