Denmark Travel and Tourism Airlines Resume Direct flights to U.S. Destinations

Inbound tourism from Denmark to the United States has steadily increased since 2002, excluding the pandemic period.  It is projected that the market will recover by 2024. In the previous year, Denmark experienced a 19% increase in seat capacity compared to pre-pandemic levels. SAS resumed non-stop flights from Copenhagen to the United States in June 2020 and during the fall of 2021 SAS restarted full U.S. flight schedule to include destinations of New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Boston.  Additional flights to JFK from Copenhagen and, for the first time ever, from the Danish city of Aalborg will operate from February and April 2023 respectively. Delta Airlines resumed their direct flight from Copenhagen to New York in May last year.  

Demand for travel continues to be high in Denmark with six weeks of annual paid vacation and 12 paid holidays. Research shows that inflation and cost of living will not act as a travel barrier, indicating how important travel and tourism is to the Danish consumers. The United States is the favorite long-haul destination for Danish travelers and Danes make up a highly attractive segment for American suppliers as visitors stay longer (17.5 nights) and spend more per trip ($345 per day) than the average international visitor. 

According to Brand USA data, 50.5% of Danes surveyed responded they were likely to visit the U.S. within the next 2 years. Danish travelers increasingly look for eco-friendly accommodation, CO2 compensation schemes and to support environmental causes while travelling.

California, Florida and New York City remain the most popular destinations when Danes visit the United States, with short city-breaks increasingly popular due to good connectivity and inexpensive airfare. Shopping tops the list of leisure activities preferred by Danish travelers with most popular shopping destinations being New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Boston, Seattle, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles. Even though first- and second-time travels tend to visit the three most popular destinations there is a growing interest in new regions and go in-land to explore “the Heartland.”  

For more information contact Patrycja.Dahl@trade.gov