why denmark? - Dansk Turismefremme

MY TOURISM EXPERIENCE IN DENMARK
Mphoweh Jude N.
M.A. Tourism student
AAU
Email: mphowehjude@yahoo.fr
BACKGROUND
IN
CAMEROON
OUT OF CAMEROON
•Denmark
•China
• Macua
•Hongkong
•Ghana
•Ethiopia
•Holland
IMPRESSION ABOUT DENMARK
Common information
about Denmark from
outside








Very developed
Natural & clean
environment
Happy people
Windmills
Mermaid
Vikings & Viking sites
Maesk shipping company
Cookies & dairy products.
First impression about
Denmark.





Denmark is the first
country I ever visited in
Europe.
From the an areal view it
looked like a beautiful,
vast plain with no hills
and many lakes.
There was a lot to see
outside in the summer.
Blue skies, green city,
many empty spaces,
bodies of water etc
Old and impressive
architecture (looked
really authentic)
Events & Activities









Outdoor biking
Kayaking & boat rides
Visits to museums
Visits to castles in around
Aalborg, Hjoring and
Lokken.
Many parks in the city
and possibility to walk
and enjoy the silence.
Visit to historic sites:
Viking graveyard, old
monastery etc.
Aalborg zoo
Nightlife and music
events in the cities.
Diversity of restaurants.
REMARKABLE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
1
2
3
4
5
WHY REMARKABLE ?



Feeling of safety and freedom (personal security, food safety,
law and order).
Environmentally conscious society.
Feeling of authenticity of architecture and great history
immortalized in museums.
Sky
Feeling of authenticity
Denmark
China
MAJOR CHALLENGES
Transportation



It is hard to get around
the city because
instructions are mostly in
Danish.
Bus stop sign posts do
not clearly indicate which
bus and which way to go.
They seem very
confusing to an untrained
eye.
Audio instructions on the
bus are mainly in Danish.
Consequences
Fear of taking the risk
to wonder to unknown
destinations. This limits
the knowledge and
experience of Denmark
from a tourism
perspective.
 Easy to get lost and
easy to board the wrong
bus.

MAJOR CHALLENGES
Transportation



Very expensive probably
due to the use of luxury
cars e.g. taxis.
Getting around most
parts of Denmark is
harder than most parts of
China for example.
Automated services for
purchasing tickets were
also confusing to me.
Consequences

Restrictions in
movement and
confinement to city
center.
SUGGESTIONS RELATIVE TO TRANSPORTATION
Low cost transport options. This might entail use of
cheaper car brands for taxis, electric cars (as used in
China).
 Very obvious English instructions at bus stops and
English audio instructions alongside Danish ones.
 It should be noted the high personal space awareness
culture makes some people hostile to being asked
directions. (from personal experience).
 Without a smart phone or compass, it is very hard to
get around cities here. I did not have this feeling in
Holland.

China vs Denmark
Clear instructions make it easy
OTHER PROBLEMS





Low signals from outside about Danish tourism. E.g. TV
commercials. The internet is good but user experience is
limited in places like Cameroon & China. Rather use
traditional means of communication & commercials.
No real feeling of connection between customers and
workers in most service sectors.
The private space culture reduces contact and exchange
between people to a point where the word of mouth (& EWOM) means of spreading information about attractions or
anything else is lost.
Although living in Denmark, interaction is more with
foreigners living in Denmark. Hence the image of Denmark
that ends up being projected about the country inside and
outside doesn’t end up reflecting what it really is from a Danes
perspective.
Advertising of products and services is not very
aggressive and obvious on streets and you would find in other
countries.
Hard to tell what Danish cuisine really is. Pork and
potatoes are the two that come to mind.
 A detailed study is needed on how foreigners feel about
visiting or living in Denmark. Study should ask a lot of
stereotypical and uncomfortable questions which I
hear rumored around regularly. The target group
should mainly be students and young people.
 Danish tourism some how will appeal more to an older
generation from 35 years and above.
 Through a study like that mentioned above, there could
be a better understanding of what a younger generation
are actually in search of and how they react to missing
these while in Denmark.

LOSING STRONG SELLING POINTS
Imagination

Denmark is the
happiest country in
the world. This is the
imagination for most
people I talked to
before leaving. Some
plan to visit Denmark
just to get the feeling.
Reality for me
Makes me wonder why
that position after being
here for 7 months.
Same criteria placed
Holland 4th and it felt
almost real in Holland.
It is more stimulating
and there was a to do.
 You easily run out of
things to do. A lot of
monotony.

CONCLUSION
Denmark has a lot of attractions outsiders would
like to see.
 Advertising to foreigners is not aggressive enough.
 Word of mouth & electronic word of mouth means
of communication are low and put Denmark at a
losing end in terms of marketing and
communication.
 There is need to better understand market
communication across different cultures e.g. China
(which has a huge potential).
 Market more rather than seek to change a lot.

THANKS
A FOREIGN STUDENT IN DENMARK
By Maarja Nomme
SO WHO AM I AND HOW DID I END UP IN
HERE?
 Maarja
Nõmme
 Estonia
 BSc
International Tourism Management in
England
 MA Tourism at Aalborg University
WHY DENMARK?
Hmm?
Weather?
Nature and
wildlife areas,
forests
Bicycles
Sustaniability,
recycling
Super-casual
dresscode and
attitude
WHAT DO ESTONIANS ASSOCIATE
WITH DENMARK?
ARRIVING
Copenhagen (København)
 Copenhagen vs the rest of Denmark
 Odense
 Aalborg
 Taani keel on raske. Väga raske. Tõesti!
 English (and German) spoken everywhere
 Well-hidden TICs
 Safe and clean

WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT DENMARK? WHAT
COULD BE BETTER?
Restaurants (New Nordic Food) and food festivals
 Promotional materials (both online and on paper)
 Websites (often not working, offline and only in
Danish)
 Wifi
 Student discounts, student deals, student packages
 Sample itineraries?

WHAT DOES ESTONIA DO?

It’s not perfect, but it’s something.
WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT DENMARK? WHAT
COULD BE BETTER?
Wonderful wildlife and lovely landscapes
 Birding
 Mountain biking in Denmark .... is possible.
 Information about hiking: trails, facilities etc.
 Public transport 
 Signage
 A safe country

WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT DENMARK? WHAT
COULD BE BETTER?
Friendly Danes
 Hygge!
 Not so friendly customer service
 Quality of attractions, creativity
 Seasonality

MY TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR AKA THE 21ST
CENTURY
Skyscanner/ DSB/quick search for bus companies
 Tripadvisor
 Foursquare
 Booking.com and hostels.com
 NaviFree App/ Google Maps
 Atlas Obscura
 Pinterest/Tumblr

TO SUM UP
Universities-> students
 VFR- bad news for hotels, good news for restaurants,
great news for attractions
 Familiy-friendly
 Nature areas

THANK YOU!
maarja.n6mme@gmail.com
uk.linkedin.com/in/maarjanomme/