New statistics from Statistics Sweden/The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth show that a record number of Swedish guests stayed at Swedish campsites in 2021. The total number of guest nights at Swedish campsites amounted to 15.5 million, an increase of 21 percent. Swedish guest nights increased by 13 percent to 13.8 million and international guests flocked to Sweden at the end of the summer. During August and September, Swedish campsites had more guests from Germany and the Netherlands than in the same period before the pandemic.

-That so many new Swedish guests found their way to Sweden's campsites in 2021 is fantastic. International travel was affected by the pandemic, but even here we saw great interest in Sweden as soon as the opportunities to travel here arose, says Peter Jansson, acting CEO of SCR Svensk Camping.

Camping continues to be Sweden's largest holiday accommodation. During the summer period from June to August, 44 percent of all tourist overnight stays in Sweden are at a campsite. The increased sales of caravans and motorhomes contribute to increased demand and the industry's investments in product development and marketing mean that more and more people are choosing camping accommodation.

Guest nights in all Swedish counties have recovered well after the pandemic. Areas that were hit particularly hard during the pandemic came back very strongly in 2021, not least Kronoberg/Småland where guest nights increased by 81 percent compared to 2020. The three largest camping regions are Västra Götaland, Kalmar/Öland and Halland.

-We see that interest in camping and Swedish tourism continues to increase. The industry is the engine for tourism in many Swedish destinations during the summer months and for many guests the campsite itself is the single most important reason for travel. Ahead of 2022, we see continued great interest from all markets. It is especially pleasing that we see that Norwegian guests have now returned to plan and book their holidays on Camping.se, says Peter Jansson.

International tourism with Norway, Germany and the Netherlands partially returned in 2021. This was particularly the case for trips from Germany and the Netherlands towards the end of the summer. International guest nights amounted to 1.7 million compared to 580,000 in 2020. However, the potential going forward is very large and there are still large volumes to recover. SCR has strengthened its marketing in Germany and carries out several digital marketing activities together with the motoring and tourism organization ADAC to get more German tourists to Sweden. 

Quick facts

• Total guest nights: 15.5 million, an increase of 21 percent (12.8 million, 2020)
• International guest nights: 1.7 million (580,000, 2020)
• Accommodation distribution: Motorhome 13 percent, caravan 68 percent, tent 5 percent, cabin 14 percent
• Market share June-Aug: 44 percent (other accommodations are hotels, cottages, hostels and private rentals)