The Swedish Tourism Board has decided that it is time to clarify that Sweden and Switzerland are not the same thing. According to Visit Sweden, the two countries are constantly confused.
To clear up the confusion, the Swedish Tourist Board has launched a new humorous campaign. And this is how, in his opinion, one can distinguish these two European countries.
Sweden releases video to show tourists it’s not Switzerland
A Visit Sweden campaign video entitled “Welcome to Sweden (not Switzerland)” went viral on social media this week.
According to the news site SwissInfo, every year 120,000 people ask Google whether Sweden and Switzerland are the same country. A study conducted by Visit Sweden in the US found that half of the respondents did not know if there was a difference between the two countries.
Even world leaders make this mistake. Last year, during a speech at a NATO summit, US President Joe Biden mistakenly mentioned Switzerland while discussing Sweden’s proposal to join the military alliance.
In the satirical video, an official standing on a podium between two Swedish flags addresses “the leaders and citizens of Switzerland.” She states that the time has come to draw a clear boundary between the two countries, defining “who is talking about what.” Switzerland can talk about things like mountain peaks, yodeling, and clocks, while Sweden has a monopoly on rooftop bars, silence, and forgetting about time.
“If both tourism organizations adhere to this distinction in all communications with the outside world, then the confusion should end,” suggests Sweden.
How is Sweden different from Switzerland?
To make the distinction between the two countries clearer, Visit Sweden has also detailed some of the differences between the two countries on their website.
If Switzerland has one of the world’s largest gold reserves, Sweden has “forest gold”. In autumn, Swedes collect chanterelles – delicious yellow-orange mushrooms.
If you like historic banks, head to Switzerland, but if you prefer exploring beaches and sandbanks, you should visit Sweden, says the tourism board. Sweden boasts 48,000 km of coastline and desert archipelagos in the Baltic Sea.
In Switzerland, you can “enjoy spectacular light shows created using projections and LEDs,” and “in Sweden, there is no need for electricity to put on a show.” The Scandinavian country has its natural spectacle – the Northern Lights.
Finally, the tourist board reminds us that while Switzerland is a land of “lots of interesting sounds” such as yodeling and cowbells, Sweden is a place of peace where soundscapes will help you “relax and connect with nature.”