Who did the Swedish people Airbnb their homes?

Sweden has to be given credit for out-of-the-box thinking — and that does not just mean Ikea. Last year, it launched a campaign that let people round the world call up a hotline number and talk to a random Swede (out of those who had agreed to be on the programme) about anything.

Though such schemes do seem to ask to be misused, presumably it achieved at least in some measure its ostensible aim to get foreigners to learn more about Sweden from Swedes. Otherwise, why else would the entire country list itself on Airbnb this month?

Sweden has even uploaded a video tour of its "premises" just like individual owners. While the move might imply every abode in Sweden is available for hire, it is more a play on the ancient Scandinavian custom of "allemansrätten", or "everyman’s right", that allows anyone access to public and private lands, with a few exceptions.

So, tourists (probably) cannot get a bed and breakfast at the Swedish royal family’s private home Drottningholm Palace, but they are being encouraged to pitch a tent to enjoy the country’s "free" great open spaces.

If it works, other nations may follow suit. Such generosity may have unseemly consequences if implemented in India obviously, given the propensity for land grab. However, this Swedish pointer to the need to innovate to attract tourists cannot be ignored.