The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Development's tourism accounts, where the calculations have been made using a new method linked to Big Data. For the first time, the effects of tourism are measured at regional and municipal level for the years 2019 – 2023.
Previously, there has been a lack of statistics on tourism at the regional and municipal level, despite it being a fundamental function for other industries.
– With the help of Big data from the card companies, we can now follow up and analyze the effects of tourism. This provides a better basis for decision-making for investments and policy development, which benefits both the tourism industry and other activities within regions and municipalities, says Elisabeth Backteman, Director General of the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Development.
Levels and development figures in the statistics below refer to fixed prices with 2022 as the reference year.
Tourism consumption increased in 2023
Total tourism consumption (how much tourists spend) in Sweden amounted to SEK 386 billion in 2023. This is an increase of 2 percent compared to tourism consumption in 2022. If you compare tourism consumption in 2023 with the level in 2019 (before the pandemic), the increase is 3 percent.
Tourism consumption by Swedes in Sweden was the largest part, 270 billion kronor. That is 3 billion more than what Swedish tourists spent in Sweden in 2022, but 11 billion less than in 2019.
Tourism consumption by foreign visitors amounted to SEK 116 billion in 2023. This is an increase of 5 percent compared to 2022 and SEK 22 billion more than foreign tourists spent in Sweden in 2019.
Tourism's share of Sweden's GDP was 2.6 percent in 2023
Tourism's contribution to the Swedish economy (measured as a share in relation to GDP) was 2.6 percent in 2023. This is slightly lower than the share in 2019, when tourism's contribution amounted to 2.9 percent of Sweden's GDP. Tourism's share fell to 2.0 percent when the pandemic hit in 2020 and has risen slightly every year since then.
Swedish tourism abroad greater than foreign tourism in Sweden
Sweden has had a negative net export of tourism for a long time, which means that Swedes consume more tourism abroad than foreign tourists consume in Sweden. In 2023, net exports of tourism amounted to minus SEK 28 billion, which is an increase compared to 2022 when net exports amounted to minus SEK 32 billion.
New regional and municipal data
Consumption data is available for the entire period 2019–2023, while production and employment data cover the years 2019–2022.
At the county level, tourism's share of the economy in 2022 was largest in Jämtland, measured as a share of gross regional product (GRP). There, it amounted to 4.0 percent of GRP, followed by Dalarna with 3.1 percent and Gotland with 2.9 percent.
At the municipal level, tourism's share of the economy was largest in Borgholm, where it amounted to 11.3 percent of GRP, followed by Åre with 11.2 percent and Arjeplog with 10.4 percent.
According to Press Release.,
