The strong growth is mainly due to an increase in consumption by foreign visitors in Sweden. It rose by 11 percent compared to the previous year, according to figures from the Swedish Ministry of Tourism's 2017 annual accounts.

Foreign tourist consumption now accounts for 42 percent of total tourism turnover in Sweden, an increase from 27.1 percent in 2000. Swedish tourist consumption is also increasing. The increase was 4.7 percent last year, which is the largest increase in five years.

Tourism also creates new jobs. Employment growth has been particularly strong in the last two years. Last year, 10,600 jobs were added. The industry employs a total of 175,800 people (measured as the average number of employees during the year).

In Sweden, tourism also constitutes a significant part of Sweden's total exports. The share of tourism in relation to total exports has increased over the past five years from 4.7 percent in 2012 to 6.4 percent last year. Tourism is thus one of the fastest growing export industries in Sweden.

-The tourism industry is important for employment growth in Sweden. For example, many young people get their first job in the industry. But it's not just about a first job. It's also about bringing in more strategic expertise to strengthen the competitiveness of the Swedish tourism industry in the long term, says Gunilla Nordlöf, Director General of the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.