The Danish branch of Thomas Cook has launched an advertising campaign to get couples to visit romantic cities in the hope of boosting the declining birth rate.
“Do it for Denmark!” claims that Danes have 46% more sex while on holiday and that 10% of the population was actually conceived by parents who were holidaying out of the country.
Spies, the Danish arm of Britain's Thomas Cook Group, rued Denmark’s birth rate, now at its lowest ebb for 27 years. Even by Nordic standards, Denmark’s rate of 10.4 births per 1,000 residents is the region’s smallest, having fallen 17% since 2000.
"At Spies we're concerned. Fewer Danes mean fewer to support the ageing population - and tragically, fewer holidaying with us," the travel company said about its light-hearted ad.
The ad makes a point of contrasting grey Danish skies, empty playgrounds and isolated older people with Paris, the City of Light. A young Danish couple are seen enjoying the delights of the French capital and later each other.
But not all the focus was on making babies. Elderly people and gay couples were also invited to participate since "it's not just about winning, all the fun is in the participation".
Any woman returning from holiday with a positive pregnancy test has a chance to win gifts, including a three-year supply of nappies and a family holiday at a later date.
On Thursday, the video clip had received 350,000 views on YouTube in less than a day.
