Domestic tourism in Sweden decreased by SEK 50 billion during the pandemic months of 2020, compared to the same period the previous year. This corresponds to a decrease of more than a quarter, according to calculations from the industry organization Visita.
Visita's calculations are based on data from Statistics Sweden and the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth and show that over 100,000 people in the tourism industry have lost their jobs, been given notice or laid off since the start of the pandemic.
According to Visita, the Swedish hotel industry has lost two out of three kronor in revenue and the turnover of the country's restaurants has more than halved. And the situation has become even worse with the recent tougher restrictions and alcohol ban after 8:00 PM.
– It gets tougher as time goes on. Both jobs and companies are taking a beating now, says Visita CEO Jonas Siljhammar.
”Money is required in the account”
In contact with its members, Visita has received testimonies of very long payment times for the promised support.
There is frustration that the promised extended layoff support cannot even be applied for, which makes the lack of liquidity acute, according to Visita. The adjustment support became available to apply for today, Thursday, and according to the government, the processing time is one week.
Visita believes that it is not possible to pay salaries with the government's promises, but that money is required in the account.
– The support must be paid out quickly. Here and now, says Jonas Siljhammar.
Source: svt.se
