Working with industry stats for a trip planner
Working with industry stats for a trip planner
I’m building Underhype — a trip planner for travelers visiting Sweden and Denmark. Here is the desk research that helped me understand the market.
Side note: most numbers refer to overnight stays (not amount of travelers) — that's the way travel industry present numbers.
Our target audience — Germans, Americans, and Brits
I’m starting with Germans, Americans and Brits. They’re common guests in the cities I’m covering. I still need to find out which group needs the most help planning.
- Germans 13.6%
- Americans 16.5%
- Brits 6.9%
- Others 63.1%
Nights, not people. Uses SBR’s reported foreign total of 5,276,000. Others includes all remaining foreign markets. Domestic guests are excluded. Includes business travel.
- Germans 13.6%
- Americans 16.5%
- Brits 6.9%
- Others 63.1%
Nights, not people. Uses SBR’s reported foreign total of 5,276,000. Others includes all remaining foreign markets. Domestic guests are excluded. Includes business travel.
- Germans 20.4%
- Dutch 5.7%
- Americans 9.1%
- Brits 4.0%
- Others 60.8%
Nights, not people. Swedish guests and unknown home countries are excluded. Others includes Norway, Denmark and all remaining foreign markets. Includes business travel.
Source: Tillväxtverket · 2025 figures reproduced by Sverigepulsen
- Germans 20.4%
- Dutch 5.7%
- Americans 9.1%
- Brits 4.0%
- Others 60.8%
Nights, not people. Swedish guests and unknown home countries are excluded. Others includes Norway, Denmark and all remaining foreign markets. Includes business travel.
Source: Tillväxtverket · 2025 figures reproduced by Sverigepulsen
The same is true for Copenhagen and Denmark: travelers from Germany, the US, the UK, and the Netherlands are common foreign guests.
- Germans 12.3%
- Americans 12.3%
- Brits 10.1%
- Others 65.3%
Nights, not people. Copenhagen coverage follows the cited report. Source totals are rounded, so shares and Others are approximate. Danish guests are excluded. Includes business travel.
Source: Wonderful Copenhagen · 2025 figures, page 8 · updated 15 April 2026
- Germans 12.3%
- Americans 12.3%
- Brits 10.1%
- Others 65.3%
Nights, not people. Copenhagen coverage follows the cited report. Source totals are rounded, so shares and Others are approximate. Danish guests are excluded. Includes business travel.
Source: Wonderful Copenhagen · 2025 figures, page 8 · updated 15 April 2026
- Germans 62.8%
- Dutch 5.3%
- Americans 3.6%
- Brits 3.2%
- Others 25.1%
Nights, not people. Covers all Denmark, not Copenhagen alone. Danish guests and unknown countries are excluded. Others includes Norway, Sweden and all remaining foreign markets.
Source: Statistics Denmark · TURIST · 2025, retrieved 16 October 2026
- Germans 62.8%
- Dutch 5.3%
- Americans 3.6%
- Brits 3.2%
- Others 25.1%
Nights, not people. Covers all Denmark, not Copenhagen alone. Danish guests and unknown countries are excluded. Others includes Norway, Sweden and all remaining foreign markets.
Source: Statistics Denmark · TURIST · 2025, retrieved 16 October 2026
Germans, Americans and Brits spent 6.1 million nights in Sweden
Germans: 3,726,369 nights. Americans: 1,673,517. Brits: 735,961. These are accommodation nights, not individual travelers or potential app buyers. Includes business travel.
Source: Tillväxtverket · 2025 figures reproduced by Sverigepulsen
Germans: 3,726,369 nights. Americans: 1,673,517. Brits: 735,961. These are accommodation nights, not individual travelers or potential app buyers. Includes business travel.
Source: Tillväxtverket · 2025 figures reproduced by Sverigepulsen
It looks like Americans often visit several cities
Danish data gives an indirect hint: Americans often visit other countries on the same trip.
Several answers were allowed. These are American city tourists in Denmark, not all Americans visiting Sweden. “Other countries” combines destinations outside the four named here.
Several answers were allowed. These are American city tourists in Denmark, not all Americans visiting Sweden. “Other countries” combines destinations outside the four named here.
Regular trip to Sweden is 2-7 days
Short stays are common among Brits, Americans and Germans. Stays of about a week are also a popular choice.
These are trip-length categories, not average days or nights. Weekend and midweek lengths are not defined. Each traveler group totals 100%.
Source: Visit Sweden / YouGov · 2024 visitor analysis · German survey
These are trip-length categories, not average days or nights. Weekend and midweek lengths are not defined. Each traveler group totals 100%.
Source: Visit Sweden / YouGov · 2024 visitor analysis · German survey
Regular trip to Denmark — 3 nights
City visits tend to be short for Brits, Americans and Germans.
City tourists across Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense. These are averages in nights, not days, and are not Copenhagen-only figures.
Sources: VisitDenmark · British, American and German profiles, page 7 · German profile · American profile
City tourists across Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense. These are averages in nights, not days, and are not Copenhagen-only figures.
Sources: VisitDenmark · British, American and German profiles, page 7 · German profile · American profile
Americans start considering a Danish city trip earlier
Americans tend to start thinking about a Danish city trip earlier than Brits and Germans. I couldn’t find a matching comparison for Sweden.
When travelers began considering the trip, not when detailed planning began or a booking was made. Covers Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg, not Copenhagen alone. Comparable Sweden figures for these audiences were not found in the sources reviewed.
Source: VisitDenmark · 2022 city visitor survey · table 9, page 47
When travelers began considering the trip, not when detailed planning began or a booking was made. Covers Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg, not Copenhagen alone. Comparable Sweden figures for these audiences were not found in the sources reviewed.
Source: VisitDenmark · 2022 city visitor survey · table 9, page 47
Summer matters more for Germans than Brits
German stays are more concentrated in summer. British stays are spread more across the year.
Approximate shares reported by Visit Sweden. Counts accommodation nights, not individual travelers. National totals include business travel and destinations outside Underhype’s cities. The reviewed summaries do not provide a comparable four-season breakdown.
Sources: Visit Sweden / Tillväxtverket · British market summary · American summary · German summary
Approximate shares reported by Visit Sweden. Counts accommodation nights, not individual travelers. National totals include business travel and destinations outside Underhype’s cities. The reviewed summaries do not provide a comparable four-season breakdown.
Sources: Visit Sweden / Tillväxtverket · British market summary · American summary · German summary
Calculated from monthly accommodation nights, not traveler counts. Each audience’s annual total is the denominator. Winter combines January, February and December of 2025. Rounded to 1 decimal. Includes business travel and all Denmark, not Copenhagen alone.
Calculated from monthly accommodation nights, not traveler counts. Each audience’s annual total is the denominator. Winter combines January, February and December of 2025. Rounded to 1 decimal. Includes business travel and all Denmark, not Copenhagen alone.
Brits more often prefer to book without a travel agency
Brits more often want to book the trip themselves. Germans and Americans more often want help from a travel agency.
Preferred way to book a future Sweden trip. These are survey answers, not completed bookings or app purchases.
Source: Visit Sweden / YouGov · British booking preferences · German booking preferences
Preferred way to book a future Sweden trip. These are survey answers, not completed bookings or app purchases.
Source: Visit Sweden / YouGov · British booking preferences · German booking preferences
Travelers are interested in food, history and nature
Several answers were allowed. Interest in learning about a topic does not show what travelers booked or paid for.
Source: Visit Sweden / YouGov · comparable British, American and German answers
Several answers were allowed. Interest in learning about a topic does not show what travelers booked or paid for.
Source: Visit Sweden / YouGov · comparable British, American and German answers
What it all means for a trip planner
MVP already should have several cities — probably Stockholm, Copenhagen, and some smaller cities like Malmö and Gothenburg.
Show prices in 4 currencies — local, US dollars, pounds, and euros — so it’s more convenient for majority of foreign travelers.
Give options for short trips (weekends) and for the whole week.
Focus on food — what to try, what it costs, and why a place is worth visiting.
Plan trips for groups too — like for a couple, for friends, or a family.
DROP ME A LINE
Hugo Löfquist
2022 — 2026
Legal name
Evgenii Lefkvist
Based in Berlin
Work worldwide
DROP ME A LINE
Hugo Löfquist
2022 — 2026
Legal name
Evgenii Lefkvist
Based in Berlin
Work worldwide
DROP ME A LINE
Hugo Löfquist
2022 — 2026
Legal name
Evgenii Lefkvist
Based in Berlin
Work worldwide