Swedes' attitude towards tourism is very positive and many want their hometown to do more to attract more tourists. This is shown by an attitude survey among Swedes about tourism and tourists conducted by Visit Sweden.
Swedes' attitude towards tourism is very positive and many want their hometown to do more to attract more tourists. This is shown by an attitude survey among Swedes about tourism and tourists conducted by Visit Sweden.
In general, trends are visible in the Swedish overnight stay statistics/guest night statistics that foreign travelers spend slightly more nights and Swedes slightly less in commercial accommodations in Sweden.
At the same time: Domestic Swedish tourists account for approximately 751% of commercial overnight stays.
Visit Sweden, the Swedish state's marketing company for Sweden as a travel destination, has been following Swedes' attitudes towards tourism and tourists since 2021, and before and during last year's summer peak season, Visit Sweden conducted a survey, which showed that Swedes are very positive about tourism and tourists.
The positive attitude towards tourists is also found in Sweden's most visited city, Stockholm. This is shown by a citizen panel conducted in November 2024 by Origo Group. Nine out of ten Stockholmers were positive about visitors coming to Stockholm.
”"Our attitude survey shows that Swedes are generally very open to tourism and tourists, which is also reflected in how tourists perceive Swedes as welcoming and accommodating," says Susanne Andersson, CEO of Visit Sweden.
Overtourism or undertourism?
Overtourism is not a general problem in Sweden, although at times and in certain places it can be felt to be crowded when both free locals, municipal residents and other visitors are gathered in the same place at the same time.
Overtourism is a perceived condition resulting from negative experiences that affect local residents. One challenge is the difficulty in distinguishing whether it is tourists or residents of the town, municipality or region (i.e. not tourists) who are causing and contributing to perceived problems.
”"I have great understanding for the frustration that can arise among those who experience congestion and littering when many people stay in the same place where parking capacity, garbage collection and emptying of trash cans don't really keep up," says Susanne Andersson, CEO of Visit Sweden.
Around half of the accommodation capacity in commercial accommodation such as hotels, hostels and campsites in Sweden is unused on an annual basis, which indicates that Sweden has great growth opportunities.
During last year's peak season for tourism in Sweden: May-Aug, the proportion of occupied rooms in relation to available rooms in commercial accommodation Sweden was: May: 58%, Jun: 57%, Jul: 68%, Aug: 64% according to the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth's accommodation data.
”"A large part of the accommodation capacity in Sweden remains unused on an annual basis, which indicates that Sweden has great growth opportunities that we can actively exploit together with the business community if tourism and visits are distributed throughout the year and throughout the country," says Susanne Andersson.
According to the press release.
