The number of foreign tourists to Denmark is declining

[Maria]

One of the core arguments for maintaining the monarcy in Denmark (as well as other countries) is that they bring foreign turists to the country. If that is corret, the DRF are doing a poor job as the number of tourists visiting Denmark is dropping with worrying consequences.

Specifically, there were 8,400 fewer foreign overnight stays per day in 2011 compared with 2000, when there were 24 million foreign overnights in Denmark.

The figures from Statistics Denmark, as Danish Industry (DI) has drawn to the report "Denmark loses market share in tourism '.

The number of foreign overnight stays fell by more than 20 percent since 1993, also shows the DI report.

The decline is made worse by the fact that the industry is growing in the rest of Europe except for Norway. The reason the number of tourists are declining is probably the high prices in Denmark - we can't compete with the cheaper prices in especially Eastern Europe. The monarchy is not mentioned at all as our selling points in the article.

http://politiken.dk/turen...turister-dropper-danmark/

The monachy is mentioned in this article but overall it seems the problem is that we're not visible enough - combined with the high prices and thus the decline.

http://politiken.dk/turen...-det-er-meget-bekymrende/

I guess it's safe to say that either the monarchy plays no role at all or they don't do their job well enough. So one less argument for the monarchy IMO.

[mariepaccard]

Maria, other than the UK, I don't think the Royal Families are of any interest to tourists. The other royal families are simply not known. The Queen, William, Harry and Kate, that's about it.
I hear all the time from people that Denmark is just too expensive for vacation. I would love to come and visit any of the Scandinavian Countries, but I could care less about any of those royal families. To me they are just puppets. They don't really serve a purpose. They blow money that could be used for the ACTUAL WORKING citizens of the respective countries.

[tigerben]

Having a royal family should be one of the major tourist attractions, My mother , sister and I have been to London ,and went to see the royal sites and loved it as well as visiting Holland,where we seen the palace and the guards and was delighted to see a royal car going in!
Visits to all EU countries are waning , even here with a reduction in VAT on eating out and on drink to help the tourism industry isn't working , and it's all down to money, I know few people heading foreign this year, most people are staying in Ireland or taking the ferry to England for a break.
The Danish Royals have good press in the country, aren't very accountable , more visits to EU states to promote Denmark should be in order, I've never seen a ad here to visit Denmark, it's not ever mentioned as a weekend break or hoilday spot here, I know of it because I'm interested in Royals, so it is a selling point.
What are the visiting figures for Australia? Is there a Mary factor there!

[Snow Queen]

I think the main attraction for tourist would be the royal palaces & gardens but you don't really need the actual family for that. Oust them and turn the palaces into museums. Denmark is on my Bucket List for travel though. It looks like a beautiful country and I hope to see it one day, that is if Mary and her Prada doesn't bankrupt it before I can get there.

[Lolly]

I'd say the most well-known royals in the States are the British (and even then only really the Queen, Philip, William, Kate, Harry, and maybe Charles/Cam), the Jordanians (Rania mainly), and the Japanese. Victoria did get some hits for her wedding, but the Swedish monarchy isn't well-known.

Even with that, only the British are a real draw in terms of tourism. If you're going to Japan, you're going to Japan, but if you're going to the UK, then you'll often try to see the Queen. I don't think most Americans know that Denmark has a monarchy, except for when Mary's boobs got ogled, which became a gif that floated around for about a week.

Even in the UK, in my experience, only really knows those royals, along with the Saudis (who hit the tabloids for their spending and scandals). I think there might have even been some trouble around/during the Widdleton wedding when it came to reporters and journalists being able to correctly identify foreign royals. My UK friends vacation in Ibiza or Majorca, and the uni students hit up Amsterdam; Denmark is not much on the radar.

[Maria]

Maria, other than the UK, I don't think the Royal Families are of any interest to tourists. The other royal families are simply not known. The Queen, William, Harry and Kate, that's about it.

You're preaching to the choir I think this is actually one of the problems though: the DRF aren't doing enough in those countries that know about them. Like Germany for instance. I know F&M have been there for short visits a few times, but they keep trying in the US and Australia - which is hopeless because in the US no one cares and the Aussies can't be bothered going up here IMO. They should put much more focus on Germany and the rest of Europe IMO. But I guess that doesn't suit them

[BessieWallis Warfield]

Americans can't tell you, other than Britain, what countries do and don't have a monarchy.  Except for a few "royal watchers" such as ourselves across the globe, few know or really care. 

I'd love to visit Denmark, but it's too expensive.  As others have remarked, if I were to go to Europe I would go to a country where I could stay with friends/relatives, or one of the cheaper ones.  When I was in Britain, I made sure I was at the gates of Buckingham palace.  When I was in Spain I did not even look up the royal palace on a map of Madrid. 

Even if I just loved Fred and Mary, I wouldn't go to Denmark to be within a few miles of them.  It's not like I'm going to go to dinner with them, so it's silly to claim a monarchy is a good thing for tourism. 

If Denmark wants tourism, scrap the royals and all the money saved on Fred's bar tab and Mary's shoe collection could be spent subsidizing hotel room/food bills of visitors.  THAT would bring in tourism. 

[Emma Rose]

Royalty is like the Olympics, they're better seen on tv.   

[Suzerain]

I'd say that the economic situation is probably the main reason. People tend to travel to cheaper countries and the countries located close to their own. If you think of Nordic tourists, Denmark is perhaps not that different compared to Southern Sweden meaning it's not a very exotic travel destination. And then there are the high prices at the same time.

I would love to visit Denmark and part of the reason are the royals and the sights. I don't think I'd be as interested if monarchy was abolished there. There are pros and cons to monarchy and to being a republic but mostly there tends to be a lot less to see if the monarchy has been abolished. Part of why I'm interested in Denmark is the history though and not so much the present royal family so I think I'd visit anyway (provided there are still sights to see). But... Right now it's too expensive even if it's not that far away.

[Dangereuse]

I just returned from Paris and London and visited royal sites in both places. At Versailles, there were hundreds (if not thousands) of people and no royal family. About half that many in London. The only royal I saw was the Duke of Kent at Wimbeldon.  No one in my party knew who he was.    In my opinion, the current crop of European royals are less extravagant (relative to earlier royals) and what they do with their time and the people's money does not bring in the tourists.  These current royals are a spent force and contribute nothing to the asthetics of the city or the prestige of the nation. The time of royalty has long since passed.   

[Cloaked]

I know of many more people in these trying economic times who are holidaying close to home.
They have less to spend and wish to bolster the economy of their own country as well.
Are more Danish people holidaying in Denmark rather than going abroad? 
Is the same happening there? 
I think tourism everywhere could be likely to suffer for a couple of years yet.

[getafix]

Suzerain, ER, BWW 

G

[Ugly Betty]

My visits to Denmark have had nothing to do with the monarchy despite my following them here on RD.  I wouldn't mind visiting the castles, palaces, etc. but I would visit them even if the monarchy in Denmark was abolished.  My main reasons for visiting Denmark as a tourist were for the food, scenery and cool people. My traveling companions couldn't pick a member of the DRF out of a police lineup but they couldn't wait to get to Copenhagen. 

No one I know is really traveling abroad right now.  So many people are still unemployed or fearful of losing their jobs and postponing overseas travel for the time being. 

[Little_star]

Wait, I thought Mary was the Icon of Danish Tourism?! At least that's what BB has suggested in the past.

[Miss Marple]

Is there much to see in Copenhagen concerning the DRF? We once spent a vacation in Denmark, it was lovely, but really expensive and the weather was unstable. We went to the see the castle (outside) and were told the DRF were on vacation and we went to see the church where F&M got married. That was it, not sure if I missed anything.

I'd like to go back, but weather as I said is always a problem and the prizes. We lived really modestly (camping, etc.) but we had to be extremely careful with what we were spending. Back then we had one child and a baby and we spent nearly 90€ staying in a three bed room in the youth hostel for one night, the hostel was 20km from Legoland, not in Copenhagen city or anything that would justify that prize.