What are the most popular holiday types in the Nordics?

The global pandemic heavily influenced last summer’s holiday season in the Nordics, but as vaccinations are rolling and restrictions are gradually easing, more and more start planning and dare to book a holiday abroad.

Which holiday types do the people in the Nordics generally prefer?

In May, we measured the holiday types people in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland typically take.

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Overall, people in the Nordics are mostly into city breaks i.e. short holidays spent in a city, with an average of 42 % people choosing this type of holiday (ranging from 35 % of Swedes to 46 % of Finns). Next up are holidays that combine relaxing and sightseeing/activity, with an average of 38 % – however, this applies to only 28 % of the Swedish population.

People in the Nordics generally like to visit friends and family in the holidays (37 %). Especially Swedes (42 %) and Norwegians (41 %) practice this kind of vacation activity, while it is slightly less popular in Denmark (29 %).

Holidays that involve culture and history are furthermore popular across the Nordic countries (23 %).

Swedes prefer beach holidays, while many Finns choose a cruise

Looking at the countries separately, there are several national differences.

Focusing on Sweden, the most popular holiday activity is simply relaxing at the beach. Almost half of the Swedes (46 %) choose this type of holiday, while only a third of Finns (33 %) and Danes (32 %) state the same.

The Finns have another favorite in their top 5. A third of the population (32 %) state that they like to go on a cruise for the holidays – this applies to averagely 10 % in the other countries, and for Denmark, the number is just 5 %.

Danes are also less into holidays at a theme park (5 %), as opposed to Norway and Sweden where one out of ten (11 % and 10 %) state that they like this kind of holiday.

About the survey

The data from YouGov Global Travel Profiles is based on the interviews of 11,743 Nordic adults aged 18 and over. 1,739 in Denmark, 3961 in Sweden, 2303 in Norway and 3740 in Finland. Interviews were carried out online on a daily basis in May 2021 and results have been weighted to be nationally representative.