SWEDISH TOURISM ENTERED 2026 WITH MOMENTUM — BUT THE GROWTH STORY IS CHANGING

Swedish tourism delivered another strong performance in 2025

Tourism consumption reached a record SEK 504 billion, increasing for the fifth consecutive year and surpassing the pre-pandemic level. Tourism accounted for 2.8% of Sweden’s GDP, while the sector continued to support significant employment and economic activity across accommodation, transport, restaurants, retail, culture and experiences.

But perhaps the most interesting question is no longer simply how much Swedish tourism is growing.

The more important question is: Who is driving the next phase of growth?

For a long time, domestic travellers have been the foundation of Swedish tourism. They still dominate the market. In 2025, Swedish visitors accounted for 51.4 million of Sweden’s 70.8 million commercial guest nights.

However, the growth engine is becoming increasingly international.

Foreign guest nights increased by approximately 9–10% in 2025, reaching around 18.3 million. International visitors also spent a record SEK 121.7 billion in Sweden, an increase of nearly 8% from 2024 and approximately 40% higher than in 2019. Tourism exports have now become one of Sweden’s most important service exports.

And the momentum has continued into 2026.

2026: INTERNATIONAL TOURISM IS ACCELERATING

The first available indicators for 2026 suggest that Sweden remains on a positive trajectory. During the winter season from December 2025 to April 2026, Sweden recorded 22.1 million commercial overnight stays, an increase of 3% compared with the previous winter season. The most notable development was international tourism. Foreign guest nights increased by 7%, compared with a 2% increase among Swedish guests.

The trend continued into the summer. June 2026 became the strongest June for tourism ever recorded in Sweden, with more than 7.58 million registered guest nights, exceeding the previous record from June 2025. International guest nights increased by 6.1%, while domestic guest nights increased by 2.1%. This is an important shift. Sweden is no longer relying solely on domestic demand to sustain growth. International markets are increasingly contributing to both volume and export revenues.

Germany, Norway and Denmark remain crucial source markets, while markets such as the Netherlands and the United States have shown particularly strong growth in recent years.

DOMESTIC TOURISM REMAINS THE FOUNDATION — BUT COMPETITION IS INTENSIFYING

Domestic travellers still represent the largest part of Swedish tourism. That is unlikely to change anytime soon.

However, 2026 is showing that Swedish travellers are becoming more competitive to retain. According to Visit Sweden’s latest travel sentiment data, 35% of Swedes planned to travel within Sweden during the following six months, while 58% planned an international trip. Interest in travelling abroad has continued to increase, and many consumers are making travel decisions later than before. This creates a new challenge for Swedish tourism businesses. The domestic traveller is still the backbone of the industry.

But Sweden is no longer competing only with other Swedish destinations. A weekend in Gothenburg, Stockholm or Åre may now compete directly with a low-cost flight to Spain, Greece or another European destination. For tourism businesses, this means that pricing, accessibility, digital visibility and clear product differentiation are becoming increasingly important.

THE BIGGEST STRUCTURAL OPPORTUNITY: YEAR-ROUND TOURISM

One of the strongest developments in Swedish tourism is happening outside the traditional summer season.

According to Visit Sweden, tourism growth has been significantly stronger outside the June–August peak season. Overnight stays during the rest of the year increased by 3.6% in 2025 compared with 2024, and were 7.5% above 2019 levels.

Over a longer period, non-summer tourism has increased by 23.5% since 2015.

This is particularly interesting for accommodation providers.

A more evenly distributed tourism year means less dependence on the summer season and greater opportunities to improve occupancy throughout the year.

Winter tourism is also becoming increasingly international.

Foreign visitors are showing growing interest in Swedish winter experiences, while international overnight stays during the 2025–2026 winter season grew faster than domestic demand.

For destinations and accommodation operators, this creates opportunities around:

• winter activities and nature tourism
• city breaks
• cultural tourism
• food and local experiences
• outdoor and adventure tourism
• conferences and events
• remote work and longer stays

The future growth story may therefore be less about creating a bigger summer peak.

It may be about creating a stronger twelve-month tourism economy.

ACCOMMODATION: STRONG VOLUMES, BUT THE BUSINESS MODEL STILL MATTERS

Sweden recorded 70.8 million commercial guest nights in 2025, an increase of 2.5% from the previous year. Accommodation revenues reached a new record of SEK 40.9 billion. Hotels accounted for 61% of all guest nights, while camping represented 24%. The country’s largest urban regions continue to dominate accommodation demand.

Stockholm County recorded approximately 15.9 million guest nights in 2025, followed by Västra Götaland with 11.7 million and Skåne with 7.0 million. Together, these three regions accounted for almost half of all commercial guest nights in Sweden. At the same time, tourism remains highly important for smaller and more tourism-dependent regions. Gotland and Jämtland, for example, generated the highest accommodation revenues per capita, demonstrating how tourism can play a disproportionately important role in regional economies.

This creates two very different growth environments. Large cities benefit from international connectivity, business travel, events and conferences. Smaller destinations benefit from nature, outdoor experiences, seasonal products and the growing international demand for authentic experiences. Both markets are growing — but they require different strategies.

THE INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITY IS REAL

International tourism is becoming increasingly important to Sweden’s economic growth.

Foreign visitors spent SEK 121.7 billion in Sweden in 2025. That makes tourism one of Sweden’s major service export industries. At the same time, Sweden’s tourism balance remains negative because Swedish residents spend more abroad than foreign visitors spend in Sweden. This highlights the opportunity. Every additional international visitor who chooses Sweden instead of another destination contributes directly to tourism exports.

The strongest long-term opportunity is therefore not simply to attract more visitors.

It is to attract the right visitors:

• Visitors who stay longer.
• Travel outside the peak season.
• Explore more than one destination.
• Spend more money locally.
• And return again.

This approach is also reflected in Visit Sweden’s strategy, which focuses increasingly on attracting travellers who contribute to longer stays, year-round tourism and broader geographical distribution across the country.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR 2026?

The Swedish tourism market entered 2026 with strong momentum.

The outlook is supported by several positive factors:

• International guest nights continue to grow faster than domestic overnight stays.
• Winter tourism is expanding.
• Tourism outside the traditional summer peak is growing.
• Accommodation revenues remain at record levels.
• International tourism exports are increasing.
• Sweden continues to strengthen its position in key European and long-haul markets.

However, there is also a challenge.

Domestic demand cannot be taken for granted. Swedish travellers are travelling abroad more frequently, making later booking decisions and comparing domestic holidays with a wider range of international alternatives. This means that the winners in 2026 may not simply be the destinations with the most visitors. They may be the operators that are best able to convert demand into revenue. For hotels, hostels, resorts and other accommodation providers, the focus should increasingly be on:

occupancy + average spend + length of stay + seasonality.

Volume alone is no longer enough.

THE BIG PICTURE

Swedish tourism is in a strong position.

The domestic market remains the industry’s foundation, but international tourism is becoming an increasingly powerful driver of growth. The sector is also becoming less dependent on the traditional summer season, creating opportunities for accommodation providers and destinations to build more stable year-round businesses.

The numbers tell a positive story. But the real opportunity is not simply that more people are travelling. It is that the composition of demand is changing.

• International visitors are growing.
• Winter and shoulder seasons are strengthening.
• Tourism exports are increasing.
• And competition for the domestic traveller is becoming tougher.

For tourism businesses in Sweden, 2026 is therefore not just another year of recovery. It is the beginning of a more competitive, more international and potentially more year-round tourism market. The question is no longer whether Swedish tourism is growing.

The question is where the growth will come from next — and who will be ready to capture it.