Tourism in Skåne and the City of Malmö have entered into a three-year partnership agreement to promote the establishment of new sustainable accessibility to Skåne, with a strong focus on rail traffic from the Fehmarn Belt area. The goal is to increase the attractiveness of Skåne/Malmö and stimulate international travel.
The collaboration is part of a long-term accessibility effort that promotes sustainable growth for businesses in Skåne, with a focus on the tourism industry. Both new and established players in the area, such as rail transport companies, will be involved in the collaboration, which goes by the name ”Access to Skåne”. Through targeted efforts, the destination will be established as a sustainable alternative for leisure travelers from the Fehmarn Belt area. This area stretches between the Baltic Sea and the Great Belt, with the Danish islands of Lolland and Langeland to the north and the German island of Fehmarn to the south, and is therefore one of Skåne’s priority markets. The potential is great, with the upcoming fixed link and the reduced travel time, the labor market, trade and tourism will be opened up to more than twelve million people.
– Based on Skåne's strategic roadmap towards 2030 with the vision Skåne – Where tourism matters "This initiative is a natural step to strengthen Skåne and Malmö's position as a sustainable and accessible travel destination for our foreign local markets," says Pia Jönsson Rajgård, CEO of Tourism in Skåne AB.
– We look forward to the collaboration. Increasing the number of train passengers to Malmö is important for the city of Malmö and strengthens our other sustainability initiatives, such as the Climate Contracts signed in December 2021 with important actors from our business sector. Together, these and other initiatives form a roadmap towards a climate-neutral Malmö 2030, says Anna Wittgren, Head of Unit Marketing and Attractiveness at the city of Malmö.
In a study from 2021, Tourism in Skåne enlisted the help of IVL Swedish Environmental Institute to map the footprint of visitors. It became clear that the greatest climate impact is by far the journey itself. Therefore, it is important to influence both the mode of transport to, and within, the destination. The fact that there is also a great interest in train travel makes the need to invest in this in accessibility work even clearer. Upcoming initiatives will include both marketing and building relationships with tour operators and train companies. Surveys may also be relevant, to provide decision-making information for the initiatives.
