The number of guest nights at hotels, campsites, holiday villages and hostels in Sweden was 32 percent lower in July than in July 2019. The corresponding decline in June was 48 percent. The recovery is due to increased domestic travel, according to statistics from the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.

”"It is positive that domestic travel increased during July. However, this has not compensated for the large drop in foreign tourists. During the summer months, they account for a large proportion of guest nights in most counties," says Kristian Seth, Head of Analysis at the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, in a comment in a press release.

In 10 of 21 counties, Swedish guest nights increased compared to July 2019, with Jämtland being the biggest winner, followed by Kronoberg and Gävleborg counties. Swedish overnight stays accounted for 91 percent of the total number of guest nights.

The counties of Norrbotten and Stockholm had the largest declines in the total number of guest nights, -60 and -59 percent respectively compared to the previous year. Gävleborg County fared best with a decrease of 4 percent.

Despite many neighboring countries easing their travel restrictions to Sweden in July, the decline in guest nights from abroad continued to be as large as in previous months. The number of foreign guest nights decreased by 81 percent compared to July 2019. The corresponding figure for June 2020 was a decrease of 80 percent. 

Guest nights for the two largest foreign markets in Sweden, namely Norway and Germany, decreased by 88 and 76 percent respectively compared to July last year.

Source: Nyhetsbyrån Direkt