Photo: Martin Edström/imagebank.sweden.se
Visit Sweden completed a five-year effort in 2020 on behalf of the Ministry of Enterprise, Industry and Tourism and together with tourism industry players to position Sweden as a Sustainable Destination for Nature Tourism. This effort has focused, among other things, on working with international media.
This has yielded good results as the total PR value for nature tourism publications in 2020 was at the same level as in 2019, despite global tourism being hit hard by the Corona pandemic.
Sustainable travel was in even greater focus for Visit Sweden's press work in 2020, and an example of this is the focus on Gothenburg when the city was named the 2021 city for sustainable urban travel by Lonely Planet.
During the year, a recurring theme highlighted has been the opportunity to experience nature while staying in unique and spectacular places. An asset for the destination Sweden.
The five-year initiative achieved the goal of becoming one of the top three when potential visitors spontaneously think of countries that offer sustainable nature experiences. Sweden comes in second place after Norway. This pleasing result was shown by a survey among the target group conducted in the most important visitor markets: Germany, France, the UK and the USA. [1] Within the framework of this initiative, Visit Sweden has carried out notable international campaigns such as "Sweden on AirBnB", "The 72 h cabin" and "The Edible Country".
Within the framework of the initiative, Visit Sweden, in collaboration with the tourism industry, succeeded in hosting the World Congress, Adventure Travel World Summit, ATWS in Gothenburg in 2019. The event received the highest ratings from participating international media and tour operators that an ATWS has ever had.
”"Nature tourism – as a way to disconnect from technology and enjoy a slower pace of life – will become more popular. Choosing relatively unexplored places in the countryside to vacation, over built-up areas, is also reinforced by COVID-19," says Jenny Jonevret Senior Project Manager for the Sustainable Nature Tourism program.
”The pandemic has further increased the connection between commitment to our climate and individual health – leading to increased demand for sustainable travel,” she continues.
The continued strong interest in experiences in nature can be linked to strong trends that have emerged in Visit Sweden's latest trend report, such as the demand for packaged and safe adventures where more and more people seek out nature but need guidance and support. The longing for authentic nature experiences and the growing commitment to our climate also affect interest in nature tourism.
