Weak krona entices more tourists to choose Sweden
The persistently weak krona is expected to lead to another record year for Sweden’s tourism industry.
Last year the country’ tourism business reported a turnover of 245 billion kronor ($31.9 billion), up 4 percent from the previous year, reports the Dagens Industri (DI) newspaper.
And so far it looks like Sweden will continue to be the destination of choice for tourists, despite the financial crisis and a weak economy.
“We expect turnover to be the same as last year’s record-level,” Jan Lundin, head of the Swedish Travel and Tourist Industry Federation (RTS), told DI.
The weak krona means that Swedes are staying at home instead of traveling abroad. In addition, the exchange rate means that prices in Sweden don’t seem quite as high as usual in the eyes of foreign tourists.
Visitors from Denmark, Norway, and Germany have been coming to Sweden in ever greater numbers, for example.
Even the recent winter tourist season appears to have been better than average.
“Ski tourism has held up very well,” said Mathias Lindström, marketing director for Skistar, which operates ski resorts in both Sweden and Norway, to the newspaper.
Expectations remain high within the Swedish tourist industry for a strong 2009, with a recent survey showing that 65 percent of companies are very optimistic, while only 8 percent had a negative outlook.
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Last year the country’ tourism business reported a turnover of 245 billion kronor ($31.9 billion), up 4 percent from the previous year, reports the Dagens Industri (DI) newspaper.
And so far it looks like Sweden will continue to be the destination of choice for tourists, despite the financial crisis and a weak economy.
“We expect turnover to be the same as last year’s record-level,” Jan Lundin, head of the Swedish Travel and Tourist Industry Federation (RTS), told DI.
The weak krona means that Swedes are staying at home instead of traveling abroad. In addition, the exchange rate means that prices in Sweden don’t seem quite as high as usual in the eyes of foreign tourists.
Visitors from Denmark, Norway, and Germany have been coming to Sweden in ever greater numbers, for example.
Even the recent winter tourist season appears to have been better than average.
“Ski tourism has held up very well,” said Mathias Lindström, marketing director for Skistar, which operates ski resorts in both Sweden and Norway, to the newspaper.
Expectations remain high within the Swedish tourist industry for a strong 2009, with a recent survey showing that 65 percent of companies are very optimistic, while only 8 percent had a negative outlook.
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