Competitor mapping

Cities considered with Copenhagen in traveller’s decision-making process.

Among respondents from:
All markets
European markets
Long-haul markets
  • Competitors League 1
  • Stockholm
  • Competitors League 2
  • Oslo
  • Berlin
  • Amsterdam
  • Competitors League 3
  • Helsinki
  • Rome
  • London
  • Prague
  • Paris
  • Dublin
  • Malmö
  • Vienna
  • Brussels
  • Lisbon
  • Reykjavík
  • Competitors League 1
  • Stockholm
  • Berlin
  • Competitors League 2
  • Amsterdam
  • Oslo
  • Helsinki
  • Competitors League 3
  • Brussels
  • Dublin
  • London
  • Malmö
  • Paris
  • Prague
  • Rome
  • Vienna
  • Barcelona
  • Budapest
  • Competitors League 1
  • Stockholm
  • Competitors League 2
  • Oslo
  • Dublin
  • Paris
  • Rome
  • Amsterdam
  • Helsinki
  • Prague
  • Berlin
  • London
  • Competitors League 3
  • Brussels
  • Geneva
  • Vienna
  • Malmö
  • Reykjavík
n=865
n=657
n=208
Full list available in "Competitive Index, All Visitors".
Each city's rating is indicated by the size of its circle.
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Visitors leave Copenhagen with a good impression and want more

Overall, visitors are very satisfied with their visit to Copenhagen. 81% of visitors state that their expectations have been met to a great extent. Their great satisfaction is also reflected in their willingness to re-visit and recommend Copenhagen. For as many as 75%, it is either very likely (49%) or likely (26%) that they will visit Copenhagen again in the future, and 49% of visitors would highly recommend Copenhagen to friends and family, acting as Copenhagen ambassadors.

Source: 'Københavns DNA og Fremtidige Potentialer'

The neighbouring rivalry

One competitor stands out in the Competitive Index analysis and that is the self-proclaimed Capital of Scandinavia – Stockholm. When considering Copenhagen as a destination, our Swedish neighbour is high on the list of alternatives, by travellers from both European markets and from long-haul markets. Berlin follows Stockholm on the list of close rivals. Other competitors vary in geography and size from well-known tourism destinations like Amsterdam and Barcelona to newcomers like Brussels and Reykjavik. These competitors were also identified by the destination assessment analysis for Copenhagen.

Source: 'Competitive Index, All Visitors' and 'Copenhagen Destination Assessment'

A neighbour that is hard to beat

The Competitive Index analysis across 10 of Copenhagen’s European competitor cities clearly underlines Stockholm as a tough competitor – across all visitor types, and especially for business visitors.

Fulfilling visitors’ overall expectations for their stay is of paramount importance to a destination and while Copenhagen scores below average, Stockholm is awarded best in class.

Meanwhile, zooming in on business visitors, Copenhagen is the city that best fulfils business visitor’s overall expectations, but Stockholm is still a tough competitor with a higher number of ‘best in class’ ratings across the individual parameters.

Source: 'Competitive Index, All Visitors' and 'Competitive Index, MICE Visitors'

Our competitor is also our close “partner in crime”

Stockholm is not only our competitor, but also our partner in association and collaboration. Interviews with travellers in both Stockholm and Copenhagen show that the motivation for visiting is rooted in a desire to experience Scandinavia, the Nordics, the Baltic Sea Region or Northern Europe. Many travellers are therefore visiting both cities on the same trip.

Stockholm is also a source of inspiration. Analysing the data from TripAdvisor reviews indicates that the accommodation and experiences of Copenhagen are highly concentrated in the city centre, while Stockholm’s experiences are more spread out across the city landscape. Meanwhile, both cities experience a similar mapping of places to eat, indicating that Copenhagen and Stockholm have successfully managed to spread out restaurants across neighbourhoods.

Source: 'Den Digitale Samtale'

Stockholm excels in hospitality

In addition to the Competitive Index analysis, data from TripAdvisor reviews and follow-up interviews with visitors in both Copenhagen and Stockholm show that visitors generally have a positive service experience in both cities. Negative reviews are, however, primarily motivated by poor service experiences.

Overall, the Competitive Index analysis across all visitor types clearly shows Stockholm ahead of the game in providing good experiences of hospitality. Stockholm holds the position of best in class for: hospitality, accommodation, public transportation and information centres at the airport & in train stations.

Source: 'Den Digitale Samtale' and 'Competitive Index, All Visitors'

Stockholm rules the (hotel) rooms

TripAdvisor reviews across hotel categories of budget, midrange and high-end show that Stockholm outperforms Copenhagen in the high-end accommodation offering.

In terms of budget hotels, the two cities perform equally well as viewed by business visitors and the target group of travellers that are single/couples/friends. Families, however, prefer Stockholm. As for midrange, Stockholm is more frequently reviewed with ‘excellent’ and in the high-end category, Stockholm outperforms Copenhagen across the target groups - business visitors, families and singles/couples/friends. These findings are also confirmed, on an aggregate level, by the Destination Assessment analysis for Copenhagen.

Source: 'Den Digitale Samtale' and 'Copenhagen Destination Assessment'

10X COPENHAGEN SUGGESTS



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How Copenhagen competes

Copenhagen is a hard sell, when it comes to value for money across multiple parameters. At the same time, Copenhagen leaves visitors unimpressed by the city’s experiences, and though home to 22 Michelin Stars, Copenhagen’s quality of food is rated only slightly above average.

What locals & visitors think of Copenhagen

Copenhagen is a bikeable, liveable and easy to visit in the eyes of visitors and locals. However, while visitors are motivated by atmosphere, 42% of Copenhageners pinpoint the famous attractions as a major city characteristic – in contrast with only 17% of recent visitors to Copenhagen.