The summer holiday weeks are approaching, but travel restrictions, quarantine and concerns about the spread of infection are putting a wet blanket over Swedish tourism. Few dare to book trips, either abroad or within Sweden, and tens of thousands of jobs are expected to disappear.
– It is a major disaster for the entire travel industry, says Didrik Von Seth, secretary general of the Swedish Travel Agency and Tour Operator Association SRF.
Swedish tourism had a turnover of 337 billion kronor in 2018, according to the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth. This year it is expected to be significantly lower. The travel agency industry alone expects this year's turnover from international travel to plummet to 10-20 billion kronor, from the normal 60-70 billion per year.
– Many companies are at risk of going bankrupt and thousands of employees could become unemployed, says Didrik von Seth and continues:
– It is a major disaster for the entire travel industry. Both for those who have prepared to receive tourists in Sweden and those who sell travel. It is a complete standstill, which is causing major losses, both in Sweden and throughout Europe.
Big loss for popular Sweden
Sweden is a popular tourist destination in Europe. In a normal summer, foreign guests account for 9.9 million guest nights in hotels, cottages, hostels and campsites. In 2018, foreign tourists spent 144 billion kronor in Sweden. But since March this year, the situation has changed.
– Bookings at hotels and campsites are much lower from foreign tourists. Then we also don't know how many actually complete the few bookings that exist, says Jonas Siljhammar, CEO of Visita, the industry and employer organization for the Swedish tourism industry.
Holidays in Sweden
Many Swedes are pinning their hopes on vacationing in Sweden, which also benefits certain industries. Cottage rentals are increasing, sales of holiday homes are hotter. Motorhomes and caravans are increasingly in demand.
In 2018, Swedish visitors' consumption amounted to 193 billion kronor. However, according to Jonas Siljhammar, CEO of the industry and employer organization Visitas, there are also very few bookings from Swedish tourists this year.
– For many places, summer is absolutely crucial for survival. When, for example, Storsjöyran in Östersund is cancelled, the situation becomes very serious. It is a life's work that risks being ruined, says Jonas Siljhammar.
Visita also expects that around 25,000 summer jobs will disappear when hotels, restaurants and amusement parks are empty this summer, and that is in addition to the permanent jobs that have already disappeared or are also at risk.
Source: svt.se
Swedish tourism had a turnover of 337 billion SEK in 2018 and accounts for 2.61% of Sweden's economy (measured as GDP).
Swedish visitors accounted for 193 billion of these, foreign tourists for 144 billion.
Tourism accounts for 6.41% of Sweden's total exports.
In 2018, 172,000 people were employed in tourism, most of them in hotels and restaurants.
In the summer of 2019, the number of total guest nights in Sweden amounted to almost 30 million, which is 40% of the guest nights during the entire year.
Most of the guest nights – 46% – are spent in hotels. This corresponds to accommodation revenue of 8.6 billion SEK.
Sweden's campsites brought in approximately SEK 1.5 billion in accommodation revenue during the summer months of 2019.
Sources: Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, Statistics Sweden
