Number of overnight stays by tourists in Denmark in 2020, by country of origin

In 2020, German tourists in Denmark spent nearly 13 million overnight stays in total, placing their country as the second-largest source market for overnight tourism in the neighboring nation, behind Danish domestic travelers. By a wide margin, the following most popular countries of origin among tourists in Denmark were Norway and Sweden.

Denmark: smallest but most touristic country in Scandinavia

As a consequence of the COVID-19 impact on tourism worldwide, the number of tourist overnight stays registered in Denmark went back down to levels recorded at the beginning of the 2010s. This setback, however, did not affect Denmark’s place as the most visited destination in the Nordic region; in 2020, Denmark accounted for 60 percent of overnight stays made by international tourists in those countries.

How does tourism contribute to the Danish economy?

In the last year, travel and tourism contributed more than 100 billion Danish kroner to Denmark’s gross domestic product (GDP)—or around 16.4 billion U.S. dollars based on the exchange rates of December 31, 2020. With a GDP worth approximately 350 billion U.S. dollars, this sector represents a small share of the country’s economy. Nonetheless, thousands of Danish families depend on the over 180 thousand jobs that it generates.