The National Strategy for Sustainable Growth in Tourism provides the strategic guiding framework for tourism in Denmark for 2030 with 9 overall targets for sustainable tourism development across the dimensions of economic, social and environmental sustainability.
The Strategy recognises that building a successful and future-proof tourism sector requires a broad cross-dimensional focus within all tourism business areas (nature, business and metropolitan). Released in 2022 and covering the period to 2030, the Strategy is to being updated in 2024.
The key challenges faced by Danish tourism the Strategy seeks to:
Foster and measure the transition to more sustainable tourism in Denmark across all three dimensions (social, economic, and environmental).
Address shortage of skilled and unskilled labour, which is a fundamental barrier to the sustainable growth of the sector.
Boost private investment in accommodation and attractions outside the major cities, where investment has decreased, despite a growing demand for nature and coastal tourism in Denmark.
Five development tracks are included in the Strategy, to be achieved by 2030: (i) Returning international tourism to Denmark as soon as possible; (ii) Ensuring the recovery of urban tourism is sustainable; (iii) Establishing Denmark as an attractive destination for business and conferencing tourism; (iv) Taking advantage of new potentials and opportunities; (v) Following and adapting to the changing preferences of tourists.
To achieve these objectives, several programmes have been developed and implemented. A comprehensive Comeback Copenhagen Plan to recover tourism and create a local and authentic experience for visitors in the city was launched in 2021 and will run until 2025. The Plan has four overall ambitions backed by specific initiatives to deliver: bringing tourists and tourism revenue back on the growth-track, adjusting to attract new target markets, with a focus on the Danish domestic market and nearby markets, tourism for the benefit of the entire capital, and sustainable tourism behaviour as a key competitive factor. The Plan is currently in the latter stages of implementation, with overnight tourist stays increasing 18.2% in 2023 compared to 2019, and 10.8% compared to 2022.
The national brand The Land of Everyday Wonder is also being further developed by strengthening its role at the local level and helping DMOs align local branding accordingly. All publicly funded sub-national DMOs with international marketing campaigns must use the brand Land of Everyday Wonder. By early 2024, there were 50 international campaigns using this brand with a 25 further in planning.
A total funding of DKK 175 million for public tourism infrastructure, including harbourfronts and pathways, was allocated in two tranches: DKK 110 million in November 2023 and the remainder by the end of 2024. The Danish Board of Business Development has allocated the funding for projects outside major cities to attract private tourism investment. To increase regional development, Denmark has also launched a new national data platform in 2023, which aims to support tourism decision making and provide better data to DMOs (see box below).
Additionally, a comprehensive plan for the sustainable development of business tourism in Denmark was launched in 2022. The plan features 11 initiatives and includes development programmes for companies to enhance the sustainability of tourism businesses. As of early 2024, 58 businesses had participated in these programmes and reported positive results.
