The Swedish Tourist Association is inviting foreigners to call their country using “The Swedish Number” in a new campaign marking the 250th anniversary of Sweden’s law abolishing censorship. Swedish residents can register as ambassadors and download an app to “talk about anything” with curious international callers.

Encouraging residents to proactively talk to strangers may seem like a risky decision for a DMO. But for Sweden, this seems to be a logical (if controversial) progression following their 2011 decision to let residents tweet using their official Twitter account. The campaign has logged more than 50,000 calls so far, likely generating many genuine conversations about Sweden and Swedish life. This destination shows that it can enable authentic communication at scale in a way that will spark the imagination of potential travellers by trusting its residents to represent the country well.

You can “get connected to a random Swede” by calling +46 771 793 336, or visit www.theswedishnumber.com for more information.

Related reading about DMO risk-takers: Learning can only happen when you make mistakes: how South African Tourism puts risk-taking first