• With eight places in the world called Sweden, Visit Sweden is looking to help travellers avoid destination mix-ups and ending up in the wrong Sweden
• The home of cinnamon buns and fika has applied to trademark its name and is calling on people around the world to support its application via an online petition

London, UK, 12th November 2024: Sweden is stepping up to protect its identity and has applied to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to protect its name from international duplicates that might confuse unsuspecting travellers who want to experience the original Sweden. It is calling on people around the world to support its application to prevent travel mix-ups by signing the online petition.

Cover Photo: Red and white cottages in the original Sweden. Credit: Henrik Trygg/Visit Sweden (Download)

Watch our video on helping create travel harmony: https://youtu.be/dOuj8a4GLHU   

The trademark application aims to ensure no one packs for the Swedish lakes and forests only to find themselves in a far-off town with the same name but none of the Scandi charm. British travellers have, at some point, been caught out by two places having the same name—from Edmonton in North London versus Edmonton, Canada, to the legendary Liverpool football fans who wound up in Lille, Belgium instead of Lille, France**.

According to Visit Sweden research*, almost half (45%) of travellers in the UK admitted to finding it confusing with destinations having the same names when planning their travels and 7% have even confessed they travelled to the wrong place. With over 7.4 million British travellers interested in Sweden as a travel destination, there's the potential for over 595,000 travellers to end up in the wrong Sweden.

“It's flattering that others want to be called Sweden, but we'd prefer if there was only one. Our Sweden. The one with the lakes, islands, forests, and the world's best flat-pack furniture,” says Susanne Andersson, CEO at Visit Sweden. “We want everyone to join us, sign the petition, and help travellers discover the one and only, and original, Sweden.”

Trademarking Sweden – Seriously?

Visit Sweden is levelling up its fight by applying to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to trademark the country's name. This will ensure that when someone says "Sweden," everyone knows they mean the real deal – the one where you can catch the Northern Lights, enjoy fika, take home some iconic design and possibly meet a moose or two. And *35% of Swedes support the idea too.

And it's not just the Swedes who agree. Almost half (45%) of younger travellers aged 20-32 in the UK support the idea of trademarking names to prevent location mix-ups. With multiple Germanys, dozens of Americas, and at least 34 duplicate London's globally, it's not hard to see why a little clarity might be in order, ensuring a little less geographical guessing for everyone.

How to Know You've Arrived in the Real Sweden

Watch how to distinguish the original Sweden here: https://youtu.be/dOuj8a4GLHU

Travellers should look out for the following signs that they've made it to the Original Sweden:

• Free blue gems (we're talking blueberries, not sapphires!)
• Quiet luxury (think more nature, less bling)
• Your own private island (yes, really!)
• Hotels for eight seasons (eight!)
• Freedom to roam, and fabulous fashion to boot

Whether you're after a serene nature retreat or cutting-edge design, Sweden is making sure travellers arrive at the right destination – The Original Sweden. 

Sign the petition here… https://visitsweden.com/visit-the-original-sweden/   

Press images and videos:

https://contentbank.visitsweden.com/selection/9715a5f1a7a0f2a5480021c4d57c809f

https://contentbank.visitsweden.com/selection/975987612f73a1828b9f6646458bdf44

Contact: Steve Robertshaw, PR Manager, Visit Sweden UK – steve.robertshaw@visitsweden.com

**Source: https://www.hln.be/voetbal/foutje-liverpool-fans-staan-in-verkeerde-kempense-lille~ad96f66e/#:~:text=Vier%20supporters%20van%20Liverpool%20hebben,het%20Kempense%20Lille.

*Source: The survey was carried out by the opinion and market research company YouGov on behalf of Visit Sweden. During the period 3 – 18 October 2024, a total of 1,000 interviews per market, via the internet, have been conducted with men and women aged 20-70

Visit Sweden

Visit Sweden is a marketing company owned by the Swedish government. It is a national tourism organisation to promote the destination Sweden to increase the country's attractiveness and contributes to tourism consumption, export earnings and employment. Visit Sweden works together with the Swedish tourism industry to effectively reach the most desired target groups for long-term sustainable tourism. Visit Sweden is based in Stockholm with local representation in several foreign markets.

www.visitsweden.com/corporate

Welcome to Sweden, a destination of a different nature.