The trend for all things Swedish shows no sign of abating, with Sweden now also proving the destination of choice for British holidaymakers.
New figures from Visit Sweden show that UK traveller bed nights hit a record number of 857,570 in 2016.
With 600,170 UK traveller bed nights recorded in 2013, this represents a 43 per cent increase in the space of just three years.
Now the fourth largest inbound tourism market for Sweden, the UK is seeing strong investment in Sweden from both its tour operators and airlines.
In the past three months alone, three new air routes have been launched by easyJet (London Luton to Stockholm – March 2017), Monarch (London Gatwick to Stockholm – April 2017) and bmi regional (Birmingham to Gothenburg – May 2017).
Proving that UK visitors are looking for new experiences off the beaten track, a new route between London Gatwick and the lesser known region of Jämtland Härjedalen in northern Sweden, gateway to Sweden’s premier downhill ski resort of Åre, was also launched by easyJet at the end of 2016.
Meanwhile, a number of UK tour operators have developed and extended their Swedish product over the past year in response to the British appetite for travel to Sweden.
Simply Sweden has also tapped into the trend for shorter breaks that still offer in-depth destination experience, by launching its new Escape Little Sweden product encompassing small village culture, traditional accommodation and a taste of the true Swedish lifestyle.
Gabriel Dorch, marketing manager for Visit Sweden UK, commented:
“We are delighted that an increasing number of British holidaymakers are discovering Sweden.
“The simplicity and sense of wellbeing offered by the Swedish lifestyle appeals to UK travellers, and we have worked closely with trade partners to develop exciting tours and products reflecting this.
“We are also proud to lead the way in offering sustainable nature tourism experiences, developing ecotourism products that highlight and preserve Sweden’s natural landscapes.”