Eurovision euphoria boosts travel to Sweden’s Malmo, eDreams says

(Reuters) – Eurovision fever boosted travel searches for the Swedish coastal city of Malmo by 176% between September 2023 and April 2024, Spanish online travel booking company eDreams ODIGEO said on Wednesday.

The Eurovision song contest, the world’s biggest of its kind, takes place in Malmo from 7-11 May after Swedish singer Loreen won last year’s competition in Liverpool.

It is expected to draw 100,000 visitors to Sweden’s third-largest city.

Travel searches for Copenhagen, which is less than 50 kilometres from Malmo, increased 34% over the period, eDreams said.

Tourists from France were the most willing to travel to the competition, accounting for almost one-fifth of the total, followed by Germany and the United States, the firm said.

The Eurovision contest takes place during what is typically a low season for travel, between Easter and the start of the summer holidays.

(Reporting by Matteo Allievi, editing by Christina Fincher)