After two years of pandemic, the number of guest nights hit a new record during the summer months, according to new statistics from the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.
The number of guest nights at commercial tourist accommodation amounted to around 30.2 million in Sweden during June, July and August. This is an increase of 18 percent compared to the previous summer, and two percent more than in 2019. (This figure is updated on October 5th – previously it was incorrectly stated that the increase was four percent).
The summer thus also meant a visitor record with the largest number of guest nights since 2008. The upturn is driven primarily by returning foreign visitors.
– We are seeing a record increase in foreign visitors, as a result of the loosening of restrictions. These are long-awaited figures for the hospitality industry, which has been one of the most vulnerable industries during the pandemic. However, the major adjustment has led to difficulties for companies in finding staff, says Hannah Hall, analyst at the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.
In total, foreign tourists accounted for about a quarter of guest nights in Sweden this summer. The most guest nights were accounted for by visitors from Norway, Germany and the Netherlands.
– In the country as a whole, the number of visitors from our two most important markets, Germany and Norway, has almost recovered to the level before the outbreak of the pandemic. German visitors are primarily attracted by Sweden's unique nature experiences. Sweden is also a world leader in sustainable travel, which suggests that German guest nights will continue to increase, says Hannah Hall, analyst at the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Development.
During the summer months, hotels are the most common type of accommodation in Sweden. 46 percent of all guest nights were registered in hotels.
– The hotel industry was hit hard during the pandemic when foreign tourists did not come. This year, more domestic Swedish tourists chose to stay in hotels than last year. This, together with the return of foreign tourists, makes the summer of 2022 a record season for the hotel industry. On the other hand, the camping industry did well during the pandemic, but the number of Swedish tourists at campsites in 2022 was lower than the record year of 2021, says Hannah Hall, analyst at the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.
The number of guest nights increased in 16 of 21 counties compared to last year. 14 of 21 counties were at a higher level than before the pandemic. In addition, visitor records were broken in eleven counties (these figures are updated on October 5 – previously it was incorrectly stated that 17 of 21 counties were at a higher level, and that 14 counties had visitor records).
– However, increased costs due to inflation and interest rate increases, combined with households having less money to spend on travel, risk making this year's upturn short-lived for small businesses. The last time we saw a major decline in tourism was during the economic crisis in the early 1990s. Many in the industry are now wondering if we are facing a similar decline in 2023, says Hannah Hall, analyst at the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.
More information about summer tourism figures can be found here:
New record for summer tourism – Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Development (tillvaxtverket.se)
Regarding the statistics:
Tillväxtverket is responsible for accommodation statistics, which are part of Sweden's official statistics. It reports on overnight stays, capacity, occupancy rates, and guests' countries of origin for commercial accommodation facilities in Sweden (hotels, cottage villages, hostels, commercially rented private cottages and apartments, and campsites).
Guest nights are a measure of the number of nights guests spend at commercial accommodation establishments.
The statistics for the 2022 summer season are preliminary.
The summer season includes June, July and August.
According to the press release.
