The poll of 6,400 potential foreign visitors from a whole host of countries, including Russia, the UK, France, Germany and neighbouring Norway, found that the stereotypical view of Sweden is still alive and well; although new correlations are starting to creep in.

According to VisitSweden CEO Thomas Bruhl, “blonde people”, “the great outdoors” and “snow” were some of the most common answers given by people when asked what they associate with a trip to Sweden. A quarter of Norwegians, however, also said they view the country and a discount shopping haven.

Other notable replies included “saunas”, “Greta Garbo” and “mosquitoes”. The travel agency also pointed out that Sweden is still continuously mixed up with other nations, with six percent of Americans associating it with chocolate and 10 percent of French people mentioning fjords in their answers.

The results of the annual survey will be used by VisitSweden, which is jointly owned by the country’s government and its tourism industry, to develop future marketing campaigns.

Ville Haapasalo, who works extensively inside Russia and whose name has been used to advertise the production, stars in the movie which challenges traditionally homophobic Russian attitudes, reports Helsingin Sanomat.

Originally slated for production almost a decade ago, the movie Veselchaki (“Jolly Fellows”) was the brainchild of director Felix Mikhaylov. The movie was shelved once already due to financiers being unwilling to back a theme considered risky. Now it has been decided that Russian audiences are ready for the country’s first gay themed movie. The film will be released nationwide across 12 cities and has also been scheduled for release in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the Baltic States.

Veselchaki is the tale of a group of five drag queens that perform in a gay club in Moscow and their struggles to defend their right to be who they are. For Haapasalo, used to being portrayed in Russia in the roles of a generally nice guy from Germany or Finland, the role was something new.

”I have been involved in the project since the very beginning. We have had a lot of difficulties, not simply because of the sensitiveness of the topic,” wrote Haapasalo who can only be reached by SMS. ”Officially, the issue continues to be a taboo in Russia,” he added.

Although initial box office reaction has been limited and public perception mixed as to whether the stereotypes used in the film are actually damaging to the gay community, critical feedback has been so far positive.

”It was one hell of an interesting role and every actor’s dream, even though everybody I know warned me that it is a dangerous role in Russia,” said Haapasalo.