Go Swedish holidays! (But Swedish destinations focus on foreign tourists...!?)

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Say hello to Swedish holidays! Sweden has a lot to offer, it is good to support Swedish entrepreneurs and it is (often) more sustainable to holiday in your own country. So, why do many Swedish destinations focus their marketing almost exclusively on tourism from other countries?

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Foreign visitors are important

Foreign visitors are of course important for Sweden as a tourist destination, for growth and job creation. There are plenty of potential Sweden visitors out there who, with the right marketing, can be enticed to spend their holiday money in our country, and Visit Sweden regularly creates campaigns focusing on 'high potential' markets such as Norway, Denmark, Germany, USA and China.

In the camping world, visitors from our Nordic neighbours, as well as visitors from Germany and the Netherlands, are a very important group. In some parts of the country it is even the case that most visitors to the campsites come from Norway, for example, which became painfully clear when the pandemic struck and the border with Norway closed ...

Cheer up, master-in-law?

Interest in swimming holidays skyrocketed during the pandemic, which of course can be attributed initially to the lack of options. Men This interest seems to have continued, at least in part, even after the borders opened. Many people discovered how amazing our country can be, while swimming goes well with contemporary values such as experiencing nature and sustainable travelling.

Staying within the country doesn't necessarily make the trip sustainable, but it definitely makes it easier to avoid flights or reduce fuel consumption, for example.

On the one hand, when there is so much talk about the positive aspects of Swedish holidays, it may seem a little surprising that Swedish destinations (read: regions, municipalities, campsites, etc.) often do not seem at all interested in marketing themselves to Swedish tourists.

When we talk to Swedish destinations, perhaps to find ways to co-operate, a surprising number of them say that they are only direct their marketing towards foreign markets. Alternatively, they rely entirely on Visit Sweden, which in turn focuses on 'high potential foreign markets'.

So much for swimming holidays ...

Why Swedes are worth their weight in gold

We look at some of the reasons why sweaty Swedes are gold for Swedish destinations:

• We can tour at any time of the year. As we are already in the country, we don't always need a long holiday to go swimming - we can also take advantage of weekends and other short breaks.
• We can contribute to a longer season. For the same reason as the previous point, we can help extend the season and spread tourism over more months of the year. (But yes, this requires that places stay open...!).
• We have time to discover 'little' gems. When visiting an exotic country that you may never return to, it's easy to focus on the big sights that you don't want to miss. When travelling in your own local area, it can be easier to make time for the little gems.
• We are happy to come back year after year. If we like a place, we are happy to come back. Returning may be easier for us than for a tourist living in the US or China.
• We can tour even in times of turmoil. If petrol prices go up, if flights are grounded due to ash clouds or if a pandemic closes the borders, it is still likely that Swedes will be able to holiday in their own country.

For these reasons, we think it is important that Swedish destinations do not just take Swedish holidaymakers for granted (according to the mantra "they will come anyway"), but also value Swedish tourists and actively target us in their marketing.

How do you think?

Do you usually go swimming, and if so, more or less than in the past? How do you view the fact that Swedish destinations often focus on foreign tourists?

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