Foreign tourists now account for nearly one in three camping nights in Denmark, a share that has more than doubled since 2013, turning the country’s campsite sector from a domestic summer tradition into one of Denmark’s most internationally oriented tourism segments.
According to Danmarks Statistik, foreign guest nights on Danish camping sites jumped from 2.07 million in 2013 to 4.53 million in 2023. That 119 percent increase means foreigners now make up 32.6 percent of all camping nights nationwide. Camping is now part of formal Folketing committee work, and industry groups have submitted proposals on taxes and cabin rules as a result.
The raw scale is striking. Total camping nights across Denmark rose from 6.2 million to 13.9 million over the same decade, a 124 percent surge, as reported by Danmarks Statistik. Domestic campers still dominate in absolute numbers, climbing from 4.15 million nights to 9.37 million. But the foreign share has grown faster, and that matters for campsite operators who once depended almost entirely on Danish families looking for a cheap week at the coast.
Why foreign camping nights matter beyond summer holidays
According to Eurostat data for 2023, Denmark recorded roughly 11 foreign camping guest nights per resident, compared to about 3 per resident in Sweden and 8 per resident in the Netherlands. That intensity puts Denmark closer to established camping destinations than to its Nordic neighbors, according to the Eurostat figures.
The obligation to report is anchored in Lov om Danmarks Statistik, and it means camping is no longer treated as a niche leisure sector. Danmarks Statistik classifies the overnight figures as konjunkturstatistik, business cycle statistics tracked alongside hotels and other commercial accommodation. Industry groups like Dansk Erhverv and Camping Outdoor Danmark have filed formal recommendations to Folketing committees calling for lower taxes and looser building rules.
The regulatory push
Dansk Erhverv’s camping analysis, submitted as an annex to the business committee, argues that campsite competitiveness is held back by unfair property taxes and strict cabin size limits. Current rules cap cabins at 35 square metres, and industry lobbyists want that ceiling lifted to meet foreign demand for larger units. They also want campsites to pay the same grundskyldspromille land tax rate as farms, and they want the vandafledningsafgift sewerage fee scrapped entirely.
Campsites occupy large land areas but are seasonal, and industry documents describe them as lower margin than other commercial real estate. Camping Outdoor Danmark has separately recommended cutting the vægtafgift weight tax on caravans, saying it would stimulate caravan sales and indirectly boost campground bookings.
The proposals are part of formal committee work, indicating that camping is being discussed at national policy level. According to a 2022 coastal and nature tourism analysis by VisitDenmark, camping accounts for roughly one quarter of all overnight stays in coastal and nature Denmark, which recorded 45.3 million holiday overnight stays that year.
Who the foreign campers are remains unclear
Despite robust aggregate figures, official data does not break foreign campers down by country of residence. According to Danmarks Statistik’s camping documentation, the StatBank camping tables record a broad Danish versus foreign origin split, with no further breakdown by nationality or country of residence at site level.
That gap matters because targeted marketing or language support depends on knowing who is actually arriving. The data cannot distinguish, for example, how many of those 4.53 million nights came from tourists arriving from abroad versus non-Danish residents registered at a Danish address, who are counted as domestic regardless of nationality.
What happens next
The post-COVID rebound has been particularly strong. According to Danmarks Statistik, total tourist overnight stays in Denmark increased 22 percent from 2021 to 2022, and camping shared in that surge. By 2023 the sector had set new peaks for both foreign and domestic nights, and industry groups are using those numbers to argue for structural reform.
Visitors can book and stay freely, but campsite operators face concrete legal obligations each month. According to Danmarks Statistik guidance, all registered sites must report overnight figures via virk.dk using MitID Erhverv or private MitID, and failure to meet the reporting deadline can trigger sanctions under Lov om Danmarks Statistik. For internationals running campsites, that means navigating primarily Danish-language systems, registering a CVR number, and ensuring staff classify guests correctly to match StatBank categories.
The result is a sector that has quietly become one of Denmark’s most international, with nearly one in three nights sold to foreign guests and a policy debate that now treats camping as part of the national tourism export chain rather than a cheap weekend option for Danish families with a tent.
