July 2026 was the strongest month yet for Swedish tourism. A total of nearly 14.25 million guest nights were registered, an increase of 5.3 percent compared to the same month last year. Above all, it is foreign visitors who are driving the increase.
According to new statistics from the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, 14,249,923 guest nights were registered in Sweden during July. This broke the previous monthly record from July 2022, when 13,740,345 guest nights were recorded.
The new record is just over half a million guest nights higher than the 2022 level.
Foreign visitors' guest nights increased by 9.9 percent compared to July 2025, while Swedish ones increased by 3.3 percent.
August's statistics remain before it can be determined whether the entire summer of 2026 will be the strongest yet.
Norway's largest foreign market
Swedes accounted for by far the most overnight stays in July, a total of nearly 9.6 million. Among international guests, Norway dominated.
The largest markets were:
- Sweden – 9,599,139 guest nights, +3.3 percent
- Norway – 1,585,712, +14 percent
- Germany – 923,250, +6.2 percent
- Denmark – 404,611, +2.5 percent
- USA – 297,438, +18.1 percent
- Netherlands – 251,897, +4.6 percent
The USA is therefore one of the largest markets that is growing the fastest.
Southern Europeans are increasing sharply
Several markets in Southern Europe also showed large percentage increases. The number of Spanish guest nights rose by 65 percent to 44,285, while Italy increased by 28.1 percent to 41,463.
France increased by 10.3 percent to 64,840 guest nights and Greece by a whopping 99.1 percent to 6,917.
The figures may be in line with the much-publicized ”coolcation” trend, where travelers seek cooler destinations during hot European summers. However, the evidence does not show that the heat or coolcations are specifically responsible for the increase.
Gotland the only county to decline in July
Behind the national record are large regional differences. Gotland is the only county where the number of guest nights decreased in July compared to the same month in 2025.
Västernorrland, meanwhile, shows another paradox. The High Coast has reported record visitor numbers, but the county as a whole decreased the number of guest nights by 4.7 percent during the first half of the year.
When July is also included, Västernorrland is still the county that declines the most, by 1.2 percent compared to January–July 2025.
Developments in mountain tourism are also varying. According to the data, Abisko Mountain Station has had fewer guest nights, while Kebnekaise is at a stable level and overnight stays along the northern part of the Kungsleden have increased.
Hotels close to 73 percent occupancy
The hotel market also shows large differences between periods and destinations. During the first six months of the year, the occupancy rate for available hotel rooms in Sweden was 54.6 percent.
In July, national occupancy rose to nearly 73 percent.
At the same time, Swedish campsites have reported a strong summer season. Overall, the statistics show that summer 2026 will develop very differently depending on accommodation type and destination – despite Sweden as a whole recording its strongest tourist month to date.
