A record number of Swedish guests stayed at Swedish campsites last year. Swedish guest numbers increased by 13% to 13.8 million and international guests flocked to the campsites at the end of the summer. In August and September, Sweden's campsites had more guests from Germany and the Netherlands than in the same period before the pandemic.
- The fact that so many new Swedish guests found their way to the campsites in 2021 is fantastic. International travel was affected by the pandemic, but here too we saw a lot of interest in Sweden as soon as the opportunities to travel here presented themselves," says Peter Jansson, acting CEO of SCR Svensk Camping.
Largest holiday accommodation
Camping continues to be Sweden's largest holiday destination. From June to August, 44% of all tourist overnight stays in Sweden are at a campsite. Guest numbers in all Swedish counties have recovered well after the pandemic. Areas that were hit particularly hard during the pandemic came back very strongly in 2021, not least Kronoberg and Småland, where visitor numbers increased by 81% compared to 2020. The three largest camping regions are Västra Götaland, Kalmar/Öland and Halland.
- Looking ahead to 2022, we see continued strong interest from all markets. We are particularly pleased to see that Norwegian guests have now returned to plan and book their holidays," says Peter Jansson.
Focus on Germany
International tourism with Norway, Germany and the Netherlands partially came back in 2021, especially towards the end of the summer. International visitor numbers reached 1.7 million compared to 580,000 in 2020, but there are still large volumes to recover. SCR has strengthened its marketing in Germany in 2022 to attract more German tourists to Sweden.
Fast facts
Total guest nights: 15.5 million, up 21%
International guest nights: 1.7 million (580,000, 2020)
Market share June-Aug: 44%. Other accommodation includes hotels, cottages, hostels and private rentals
Accommodation breakdown: motorhome 13 per cent, caravan 68 per cent, tent 5 per cent, cottage 14 per cent