In 2023, the tourism industry in Östersund had a turnover of just over one billion SEK, a goal that was set in 2018 when a plan for the development of the tourism industry was developed. The target at that time was that the tourism industry would have a turnover of one billion, an increase of 155 million SEK. To achieve that turnover target, several parameters were required:

• An increased number of guest nights (+ 14 % = + 60,000 new commercial guest nights needed to be created, which required both increased capacity and the ability to utilize those parts of the year where a capacity increase was possible)
• The increase would be with the goal of maintaining the occupancy rate at the same level as in 2018, i.e. 66%
• An increase in visitors' average daily spending of 10%, from 580 SEK/day
• Our guest satisfaction would reach 4.4 on a 5-point scale, which meant an average rating increase of 0.1 per year.

In addition, the place brand would be measured regularly to see how the development of the Östersund brand progressed during the period.

Now a compilation from NordAnalys shows that the goals have been achieved.

Elisabeth Richardsson at Destination Östersund says:
– For a long time, the pandemic seemed to affect the possibility of reaching the goal and we talked about postponing the goal to 2025. We are all the more pleased to now be able to state that the goal has been achieved. This shows that the tourism industry in Östersund has been and continues to be important for Östersund's development. Ahead of 2024, we revised the "Plan for the Tourism Industry" and the goal is to develop a new basis, in collaboration with the tourism industry and Östersund Municipality for 2025 and beyond.
Right now we are working on solid sustainability work and looking at how this can be incorporated into growth plans, development ideas and future goals.

Lars Häreblad from NordAnalys says:
– Measuring the turnover of the tourism industry is not an ”exact science”. The difficulty lies in the fact that it is not possible to clearly define the industry and start from the producer level. Tourist destinations, shops, restaurants, etc. have both local residents and visiting visitors as customers. Therefore, a combination of different sources must be used, and a certain amount of estimation is also required, as there is not available data for all parameters. However, overall, the method used (and has been used in many different contexts) provides good reliability.

A range of data sources form the basis for the final result, with a total turnover of SEK 1,016 million, + 9 %. The turnover is estimated to have a total employment effect equivalent to 1,134 annual jobs, as a combination of direct and indirect effects.

• Commercial guest nights (SCB) measures the number of overnight stays at hotels, holiday villages, hostels and campsites.
• Guest nights (relatives & friends) (2022/23), a new sample survey where a total of 1575 households in Östersund received answers to questions about friends/relatives staying overnight
• Guest survey (2023), where primarily spending figures have been collected, but also as a basis for estimating, among other things, day visits
• Accommodation revenue (SCB), as a complement to the guest survey, but also as an indicator of changes between years
• Visitor statistics from various destinations, events, etc. as an indicator of changes between years.

According to the press release.