Interest is at record high for holidays in the Swedish mountains this summer, several destination companies tell Ekot
”We look set to beat the previous visitor record by a wide margin,” says Sigge Jungell, chairman of the destination company in Funäsfjällen.
The bookings are also taking place unusually early, which is linked to the fact that the pandemic is making travel abroad more difficult.
According to Jungell, the forecast for the full year also indicates that the previous record, which dates back five to six years, will be beaten by approximately 35 percent.
Skistar lift company, with facilities in Åre, Vemdalen and Sälen, described at the end of April that interest in visiting their destinations this summer was record high. Sälen was highlighted as an example where bookings had increased by almost 25 percent compared to the same time last year.
The Vemdal area is also seeing a sharp increase in interest. Already last year, when many Swedes chose to vacation in Sweden due to the pandemic, many more visitors came, according to Anna Hansson, CEO of Destination Vemdalen.
– I would like to say that there were at least twice as many guests last year as there were in previous years.
And what does this season look like?
– The booking situation says there will be a lot of guests.
The Swedish Tourist Association, STF, states that the increase in bookings for the mountains is 20 percent, compared to this time in 2019. According to the association, it is difficult to compare with last year as bookings only started after June 4th, when travel restrictions were eased and we were allowed to travel freely within Sweden again.
STF's most popular Destinations include Kebenekaise and the Jämtland Triangle. In July, bookings at the mountain stations in the Jämtland Triangle are twice as high as at this time two years ago.
But with many guests, it has also been more difficult to avoid crowds to reduce the risk of spreading infection, especially in stores during the winter, believes Ingela Hansen, who lives in Tännäs near Funäsdalen.
– I think there have been a lot of people, too many. It feels like we who live here have had to get away because there are so many tourists coming.
It's a bit of an off-season right now, but then the summer season comes and it also seems to attract many people, what do you think about that?
– More and more people have taken the vaccine now and it feels like it's much easier to keep your distance when it's summer, so it feels better.
Source: sverigesradio.se
